Syrians Bringing an Elephant and a Bear, Tomb of Rekhmire
ca. 1504–1425 B.C.
Medium
Paper, tempera paint, ink
Dimensions
H. 45 cm (17 11/16 in.); W. 51 cm (20 1/16 in.), Framed: H. 48.5 cm (19 1/8 in.); W. 54.1 cm (21 5/16 in.)
Classification
Facsimile, Rekhmire (TT 100), Syrians, elephant, bear, ingot
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1931
Accession Number
31.6.43
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the grand Tomb of Rekhmire Thebes, dating to Egypt's New Kingdom (ca. 1504–1425 B.C., Dynasty 18), vivid wall paintings celebrated the vizier's role in receiving tribute from foreign lands. This scene captures Syrians presenting an elephant and a bear—exotic rarities symbolizing the wealth and diplomatic reach of pharaohs like Thutm III and Amenhotep. Such depictions, rendered in the classic Egyptian style of flat profiles, hierarchical scale, and bold colors, underscored Egypt's imperial power and the exotic trade networks spanning the ancient Near East. This artwork is a meticulous water...
About the Artist
Nina de Garis Davies · 1881–1965
Nina de Garis Davies, born Anna Macpherson Cummings on January 6, 1881, in Salonika, Greece, to English-Scottish parents Cecil J. Cummings and Sarah Macintosh Tannoch, showed early artistic talent as the eldest of three daughters. After her father's death in 1894, the family relocated to Scotland and then London, where she trained at the Slade School of Art. In 1906, at age 25, a holiday trip to E...