Weavers, Tomb of Khnumhotep
ca. 1897–1878 B.C.
Medium
Paper, tempera paint, ink
Dimensions
facsimile: h. 66.5 cm (26 3/16 in); w. 103.5 cm (40 3/4 in) Scale 1:1 framed: h. 69.9 cm (27 1/2 in); w. 106.2 cm (41 13/16 in)
Classification
Facsimile, Khnumhotep (Beni Hasan 3), weavers
Period
Middle Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.8.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling workshop of ancient Egypt with *Weavers, Tomb of Khnumhot*, a meticulous 1:1 facsimile created by Egyptologist Norman de Garis. This vibrant scene, rendered in tempera paint and ink paper, captures men and women diligently at work spinning and weaving linen on looms, accompanied by explanatory hieroglyphs. Dating to Egypt's Middle Kingdom (Dyn 12, ca. 1897–1878 B.C.), it originates from the elaborate tomb chapel of Khnumhotep, a powerful nomarch buried at Beni Hasan. These tomb paintings served a profound purpose: to magically provision the deceased in the afterlife by ...
About the Artist
Norman de Garis Davies · 1865–1941
Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941) was a British Egyptologist and archaeological artist whose meticulous copies of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings constitute one of the most important records of pharaonic art ever made. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, he originally trained for the ministry before being drawn into Egyptology through his involvement with the Egypt Exploration Fund in the 1890...