The Barque of Amun Arriving at the West Bank of Thebes
A.D. 1930–31; ca. 1295–1213 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
Facsimile: H. 77 × W. 131 cm (30 5/16 × 51 9/16 in.), scale 1:1, Framed: H. 78.2 × W. 133 cm (30 13/16 × 52 3/8 in.)
Classification
Facsimile, (TT 19), Amun, Amenhotep I, Ahmose-Nefertari; Drink-and-be-Merry
Period
Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1931
Accession Number
31.6.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking facsimile captures a sacred moment from ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom, when the barque of the god Amun was carried in procession from the east bank of Thebes to the west. Created around 1295–1213 B.C. during Dynasty 19, the original scene likely adorned a tomb or temple wall, celebrating the god’s journey to visit the royal necropolis. Such processions formed part of major religious festivals that linked the living with the divine and the dead, emphasizing renewal and the journey to the afterlife. Charles K. Wilkinson painted this 1:1 scale copy in tempera on paper between 1930 an...
About the Artist
Charles K. Wilkinson · 1897–1986
Charles K. Wilkinson (1897–1986), born Charles Kyrle Wilkinson in London on October 13, 1897, was the son of Horace W. Wilkinson, a stained-glass window maker, and Frances Adkins. Serving in World War I, he honed his artistic skills at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, where the influential director Henry Tonks shaped the rigorous training of a generation of draughtsmen. In ...