egyptian wall paintings - libmma.contentdm.oclc.org

EGYPTIAN WALL PAINTINGS

OF THE

XVIII & XIX DYNASTIES

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

AN EXHIBITION OF COPIES

OF


FROM TOMBS AND PALACES

OF THE

XVIII & XIX DYNASTIES

r6oo-r2oo B. c.

NEW YORK

JANUARY 6 TO FEBRUARY 9 1930

Copyright by

The Metropolitan Museum

of Art, 1930

PREFACE

IN 1906 Albert M. Lythgoe organized the Museum's Egyptian Expedition, a part of whose work was to be the copying and publication of the wall paintings in the tombs of the nobles at Thebes -perishable documents valuable not only as the finest work of the artists of the Egyptian Empire but also as the most copious source of our knowledge of the every-day life of their contemporanes.

In the following season Norman de Garis Davies accepted Mr. Lythgoe's invitation to join the staff in order to direct this part of the work. His long experience in this branch of Egyptian archaeology had made him an authority, and the Expedition was assured that its archives would be enriched by accurate copies of the tomb paintings and its publications made more valuable by his scientific interpretation of the scenes. The volumes of the Tytus Memorial Series, published through the munificence of Mrs. Edward J. Tytus, have made known some of these paintings. Others have been hung from time to time on the walls of the Department of Egyp~ tian Art, but lack of space has made adequate exhibition of them impossible.

This exhibition presents to the public for the first time the greater part of the work of Mr. Davies and his assistants. It consists of facsimile copies of wall paintings and enlarged photographs of scenes in relief, chiefly from the tombs of the nobles at Thebes, with the addition of ten examples of palace decoration and two from

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PREFACE

a temple. The copies represent as fully as is possible the art of the painter of private tombs and palaces during the XVIII and XIX Dynasties, from about 16oo to 1200 B. C.

During these four centuries three important phases in the history of Egyptian art occurred. The rise of the Empire brought with it increase of wealth, greater luxury in houses, palaces, temples, and tombs, and consequently greater activity on the part of artists who were charged with their decoration. Although the painter's craft followed the old tradition, it nevertheless developed in the slow way which is characteristic of Egypt. Contacts with the outside world increased owing to foreign conquests, and the products of the craftsmen of Asia, the Aegean, and Africa poured into Egypt in the shape of tribute, but it is only rarely that we see new forms adopted.

At the end of the XVIII Dynasty came that experiment in monotheism proclaimed and enforced for a few years by Akh-en-Aten. For the imperial state it was disastrous; in the even course of the old religion it was only a ripple; for art it meant a period in which artists could work untrammeled by many of the strictest conventions under which they had labored. This freedom, however, was short-lived. The priesthood of Amun regained control after the death of Akh-en-Aten and with the revival of the worship of the old gods brought back all the ancient traditions and conventions in art.

In the beginning of the XIX Dynasty the tomb painter was apparently in the same stage as before the revolution of Akh-en-Aten. Yet a leaven from the ferment was working somewhere and we see its results appearing here and there. The effect was not permanent, however, and the trend of tomb painting during that dynasty

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PREFACE

was, with a few notable exceptions, a progressive deterioration.

The tomb decorations have been arranged in chronological order. The wall paintings from palaces have been kept together because of the great difference in character in the two classes of painting. The following pages describe briefly the individual paintings. The writer has contented himself, for the most part, with explaining the subject matter of the pictures, feeling that if this is understood their artistic merits will not fail to be noted.

AMBROSE LANSING

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CATALOGUE

TOMB OF TETIKY. This is one of the earliest decorated tombs of the XVIII Dynasty, Tetiky having been the Mayor of Thebes in the reign of A (J:l-mose I. About 1575 B. c.

r. CEILING PATTERN. In purely decorative compositions such as ceilings the Egyptian artist drew almost exclusively on his store of traditional patterns. The prototype of this design is the wood-framed, textile-covered habitation of the predynastic period, which we know only from such representations and from the early tomb architecture of the III Dynasty which attempted to translate it into stone. The beam, which, in the design of the vaulted roof, forms the central longitudinal support, is given a grain which would do credit to a present-day house painter. On each side are checkerboard patterns derived from some textile the nature of whose weave it is not possible to determine. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF NEB-AMUN (No. 179).1 NebAmlin, a minor official under the priesthood of Amlin, lived during the reign of Queen I:Jat-shepslit. About r485 B. c.

1 The name Neb-Amiin was very popular at Thebes and the owners of several decorated tombs bear it. In such cases, where there is danger of confusion, the numbers in the official Catalogue of the Private Tombs of Thebes have been added.

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2. A PET DoG. Household pets were popular in all periods of ancient Egyptian history and the decorators of tombs delighted to depict them whenever the occasion arose. Here the lady's favorite dog is seated, as usual, under her mistress's chair. The green object on which the chair is set is a papyrus mat. Though it appears to be enormously thick, this is only the artist's way of indicating its width. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF AMEN-EM-WESKHET. Reign of Tl).ut-mose III(?). About 1450 B. c.

3· ToiLET ARTICLES. A tray, on which are laid a bracelet and necklace and two pots of toilet preparations, is being carried by two men. The tray is depicted on edge the better to show its pattern. Below is the toilet chest in which these articles were presumably kept. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF AMEN-I:IOTPE (No. 73). His sole title is Chief Scribe. His tomb was made during the reign of I:Iat-shepsiit. About 1485 B. C.

4- FisHERMEN AND FisH. An extremely fragmentary scene, in which, however, the original colors have suffered practically no change. It has been restored to show the typical colors of XVIII Dynasty painting with its blue-gray background. Fishermen are bringing baskets of newly caught fish and dumping them in front of a man (unrestored) who cleans them. The fish are then split and spread out to dry. Above, a man seated on a coil of rope is making a net. The artist has neglected to paint the water in the strip at the bottom of the picture.

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The clump of papyrus is another indication that these operations are being carried on by the bank of the river. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

5· IBEX. In the tomb the ibex is shown standing under his master's chair. The size of the beast would make this position impossible in reality, and so it is to be interpreted as indicating that the ibex is standing beside the chair. Possibly the artist has considered that the traditional position of a pet is of more importance than mere relative size, a factor which never troubled him greatly. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF MACY. Probably the reign of T}:lut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

6. A PET CAT. Depicted as usual under its master's chair, this cat, to judge by its actions, coloration, and the fact that it is tied to the leg of the chair, may perhaps be a wildcat not yet completely tamed. A dish of meat has been set for it on the ground, though apparently out of reach. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davi,es. Full scale.

TOMB OF MENTU-I:JIR-KHOPSHEF. A court official, probably under T}:lut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

7· HEAD oF A STAG. A fragment from a picture showing the shooting of desert animals. The fineness of detail in the painting of the eye is noteworthy. The original, a masonry block in painted relief, is now preserved in the Cairo Museum. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

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TOMB OF KHAC-EM-WESET. Probably the reign of T}:lut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

8. A LANDOWNER REcEIVES His PRoDucE. KhaC-em-weset is seated at the left, his wife squatting beside him. Before them the produce of his estates is piled on mats, and beyond are scenes of the activities of his servants in various branches of husbandry. At the upper right, grapes are being plucked in a vineyard which is being watered from jars carried on a yoke. Below, the wine is being extracted in the wine press by six men, while a seventh, of superior rank, makes an offering to Renenutet, goddess of the harvest. The wine is poured into jars, sealed with clay, and transported to the lord of the estates. In the bottom is an unusual scene showing the making of rope. This takes place near a papyrus thicket, which furnishes the raw material. The man on the right is operating two instruments with weighted crossbars which, when whirled, impart the necessary twist to the separate strands. These are allowed to twist together into a single rope by the man in the middle. The boat which is being unloaded is intended to indicate that some of KhaC-em-weset's estates were situated at a distance from Thebes. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF AMEN-EM-I:IET (No. 82). His most important office was that of Steward of the Vizier User in the reign of Tl).ut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

9· A HIPPOPOTAMUS AT BAY. Nothing shows more clearly the power of tradition in Egyptian art than the continued use of certain sporting scenes in the decoration of tombs. The hunting of the hippopotamus was used as a

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EGYPTIAN 'VALL PAINTINGS

subject in the Old Kingdom more than a thousand years before the XVIII Dynasty, and, although it is doubtful whether hippopotami existed at this time in Thebes, Amen-em-}:let's artist has not hesitated to show him in the act of harpooning the huge beast. The position of the head of the hippopotamus as he turns on his pursuers is the same as in the similar scene in the V Dynasty tomb of Tiy at Sa~~areh. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF USER (No. 131 ). Vizier of T}:lut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

10. A DELEGATION oF FoREIGNERS. Owing to the conquests of T}:lut-mose III, the visits to Thebes of representatives of tributary states were not uncommon. As vizier, User had charge of their audiences with his royal master and he depicted the ceremonies in his tomb. This delegation comes from the northern Asiatic part of the Empire. It is headed by two chiefs bearing gifts of a bow in its case and quivers of arrows. Their women follow them, one carrying a child in a basket on her back. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davz:es. Full scale.

TOMB OF MEN-KHEPER-RAC-SONBE (No. 86). First Prophet of Am fin in the reign of T}:lut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

11. PRESENTATION OF A HosTAGE. Part of a scene which shows the presentation of tribute by foreign princes "in order that there may be given to them the breath of life." The first figure, described as "the chief of Tunip" (a city in north Syria), is giving his son as a hostage. The other, a Cretan, carries on a tray a representation of a hull's head and over his right arm a piece of bright-

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ly striped cloth with tasseled ends. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF MIN-NAKHTE. Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt under Tl).ut-mose III. About 1450 B. c.

12. AN EGYPTIAN GARDEN. From a pool steps lead up to a small garden temple consisting of a shrine with two smaller rooms on each side which open on a court planted with trees. Beneath the palms and sycamores of the garden are placed dishes piled with bread and cakes, and jars of beer and wine are set in stands under arbors to keep cool. The scene is a funeral ceremony for the deceased, over whose body, in the boat, prayers are being pronounced. At tables in the garden the prescribed offerings are being prepared with libation and the burning of incense. An interesting point in the painting is the manner in which the entrances of forecourt and shrine are drawn, the standard cornice projecting from each end to show that they are pylons and not mere doorways. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF PUY-EM-REc. As Second Priest of Amiin, Puy-em-ReC' had authority in the treasury of Amun and over much of the building undertaken by the Theban priesthood. Having had charge of part of the building of I:Iat-shepsiit' s mortuary temple, he was high in her favor and yet, at her fall, managed to remain in the good graces of her successor, Tl).ut-mose III, during whose reign his tomb was decorated. About 1450 B. c.

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13. FouR FoREIGN CHIEFTAINS. "Chiefs of foreign lands coming in peace" is the label by which the artist describes these four foreigners. They are shown watching the measuring of a pile of gold rings - the tribute of farther Syria to the treasury of Amlin. The first two figures are representatives of different tribes in Syria. The third is a Cretan and the fourth a chief from Libya on the northwestern border of Egypt. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Puyemre, vol. I, pl. I.

14, 15. THE PAPYRUS HARVEST. The papyrus on which the Egyptian wrote and our cheaper modern papers are essentially the same thing - thin sheets of wood pulp. The Egyptian split up the pith of the papyrus stalk and, by laying the slivers beside and across each other and gumming them together, made paper. Papyrus had other uses equally important in his daily life, for it was employed in roofing houses and making baskets, mats, and even canoes, one of which is seen here in use. A supply of papyrus was a prime necessity in the economy of a household. The pictures show how the stalks were pulled up in the marshy lakes, tied up into bundles, and carried ashore. The beginning of paper making is also taking place, for the figure to the right is peeling off the hard exterior coating from one of the stalks. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Tomb of Puyemre, vol. I, pls. XVIII and XIX.

16. GEESE AND DucKs. The Tomb of Puy-em-Rec is cut in a stratum of limestone which was good enough in quality to permit of the decoration's being carried out in relief, unlike the majority of the tombs in the necropo-

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lis, where the painting is applied to a smooth coat of plaster. The limestone is, however, not of the best and many pieces of the surface have fallen away in the course of time. A number of these were recovered while clearing the tomb and were fixed in their proper places in the walls.

The fragments here shown have preserved for us the original freshness of the decorations. A point of interest which comes out clearly is the application of varnish to protect the colored surfaces. Originally transparent, this has changed to a yellowish brown. The birds in the center are pintail ducks, and the others Egyptian geese. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Tomb of Puyemn~, vol. I, pl. XIV.

17. TRIBUTE FROM PuNT. Punt was a land famous as the source of much of the incense used in religious ceremonies in Egypt. Though its situation is not quite certain, Somaliland seems to be the most likely location. Here two dark-skinned chiefs from this southern land are seen bringing baskets containing bags of gold dust or antimony, and ostrich eggs and plumes, together with panther skins hanging over their arms. Above are piles of ebony logs, and incense molded to the shape of two obelisks. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Tomb of Puyemre, vol. I, pl. XXXIV.

18. CuRING FisH. On the right may be seen the end of a net which is being dragged in. The fish, gathered into a basket, are taken to the cleaner. He is seated on a mat (shown on edge) before a sloping board on which he prepares the fish. The operation, described by the leg-

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end as "cutting open the fish," consists of splitting the fish with a knife down along the spine to the abdominal cavity. The heads are cut off and the cleaned fish are spread out flesh side up to dry in the sun. After drying they are tied up in packages of four. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Repro~ duced in color: Davies, Tomb of Puyemre, vol. I, pl. XVII.

19. DEcoRATION oF A VAULT. The vaulted ceiling of one of the three shrines in the tomb of Puy-em-Rec was dec~ orated with this elaborate pattern. It is derived from the mat-covered dwelling of prehistoric Egypt and was used as a wall decoration in the early dynastic period. In the Old Kingdom it appears as a type of "false door" and in the Middle Kingdom it is often found in the exterior decoration of rectangular coffins. The ties by means of which the rugs or mats were attached to wooden bars are still present in this late form of the decoration, as are also the small doors with double bolts which were added to it in the Middle Kingdom. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Tomb of Puyemre, vol. II, pl. LXI.

TOMB OF ANENY. He served under many rulers, from Amen-l_lotpe ·1 to Tl_lut-mose III, during whose reign his tomb was probably decorated. About 1450 B. c.

20. HuNTING ScENE. Aneny, drawn at an enormous scale compared to the animals he is hunting, has wounded a hyena, who has broken, by pawing at it, the arrow shot down his throat. A dog is leaping toward the wounded animal, while two gazelles, one of which has

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also been hit by" an arrow, scurry off over the desert. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

THE TOMB OF A ROYAL BUTLER, "CLEAN OF HANDS" (No. 101). About 1450 B. C.

21. A SAcRIFICIAL BuLL. The animal is decked with a fillet about his horns and a floral collar about his neck as though he were to be a guest at the funerary feast instead of one of the offerings. The bearer is carrying a basket and a bag of grapes, and lotus blossoms for the decoration of the tables. The cakes which he also brings are so sweet that hornets have been attracted to them. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF AMEN-EM-I:fAB. LieutenantCommander of Soldiers in the reigns of Tl_lut-mose III and Amen-l_lotpe II. About 1430 B. C.

22. ENcouNTER WITH A HYENA. Possibly to show his soldier-like courage, Amen-em-l_lab had himself depicted standing fearless before an enormous hyena. This animal is, as a matter of fact, one of the most timorous of beasts, but perhaps she is at bay in defense of her young. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Scale I :2.

TOMB OF REKH-MI-REc. The most interesting of all the tombs which the wealthy people of Thebes during the Empire prepared for themselves on the West Bank. Rekh-miRec, Governor of the Town and Vizier of Upper Egypt during the reign of Tl_lut-mose III,

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was, next to his sovereign, the most important individual in the country. The tomb is· extensive, and the owner, in pictures and text, has given us an elaborate depiction of the functions of the offices which he held, as well as the more usual scenes of daily life. About 1450 B. C.

23. BEARERS OF FuNERARY FuRNISHINGS. The ancient Egyptian hoped for nothing better after death than to relive his life on earth. To that end he placed in his tomb the things of every-day life- furniture, dress, toilet articles, weapons, the tools of his profession. The bringing of such objects to the tomb took place with and formed a part of the funeral ceremonies which, to give them the quality of permanence, were depicted on the walls of the tomb. In this picture the various objects are being brought to the tomb in a series of chests, but the artist has painted them separately, as though they were laid on top of the boxes which contained them. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

24. GuEsTs AT A FEAST. The serving maid in this picture is the classic example in Egyptian art of a departure from the traditional manner of showing the human form. The convention by which the characteristic positions of the different parts of the body-head in profile, shoulders full front, and lower limbs in profile- are used to make up the ideal full figure, is here applied, as usual, to the two ladies. No other method would be permissible in the depiction of persons of consequence. In the case of the serving maid, however, the artist has boldly placed his subject in a three-quarters back-view position instead of the normal three-quarters front view. But his habits of drawing have betrayed him in one respect,

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for the girl's feet have the traditional position, which in this case is almost impossible. The serving maid is pouring a fragrant oil into the dish which the lady holds in her hand and is pronouncing the greeting: "For thyself; make the day happy!" Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

25. ScuLPToRs AT WoRK. This scene from a sculptor's workshop shows the final stages in the cutting of a colossal pink granite statue of T}:lut-mose III. A scaffold has been erected about the statue to enable the sculptors to work on different levels. One is smoothing the conical crown of Upper Egypt; the sculptor below him is carving a detail on the breast with chisel and hammer; while the lowest on this side is doing something to the feet. On the back support of the statue a sculptor is carving the appropriate inscription, the painter above him applying the color to the finished work. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

26. OFFERINGS FOR REKH-MI-REc. The vizier and his mother are seated side by side on the same chair and before them is set a table piled high with offerings consisting of bread, meats, vegetables, and fruit. A priest once stood before the funerary repast, repeating the magic words which would change mere representations into the sustenance of the deceased. An ill-wisher has chopped out the figure of this officiant, but we know from the legend that it was a son of Rekh-mi-Rec. He himself is shown wearing the long garment supported by braces which was the fashion for viziers during this period. Though obesity was almost never fully depicted, it is indicated here by a paunch appropriate to an official of his high degree. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Scale 1: 4·

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EGYPTIAN WALL P.A INTI N G S

27. Two SYRIANS. The tomb of Rekh-mi-Rec, containing as it does representations of many foreigners who had come to Egypt in order to pay homage to the god Amun and to the king, is a valuable document for the study of the civilization of the period in the surrounding lands. The two figures in this picture are members of a large mission from North Syria. They bear as gifts vases, arms, and a curious kind of ointment jar made of a horn with an opening in the form of a hand. The artist has been able to indulge his love of detail in depicting the elaborate garments of this northern race. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

28. NEGROES BRINGING GIFTS. The three figures are taken from a scene representing the bringing of tribute from the lands watered by the Upper Nile. The gifts include logs of ebony, greatly prized in Egypt for the making of furniture, a tusk of ivory, two animal skins, a live baboon, and a leopard. The redder color of the central figure probably indicates that he comes from a tribe with more admixture of Egyptian blood than the other two. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

29. CRETAN GoLDWORK. These gold vessels are the gifts presented to the king by "the princes of Kefty and the islands of the great green sea." Many similar pieces have actually been found in Crete and Mycenae, notably the conical rhyton and the hull's head. Above are baskets of electrum and lapis lazuli and gold bullion in the form of rings, which form a part of the tribute. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

30. MEN OF KEFTY. This is the name applied by the Egyptians to the Aegean lands, including the western

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shores of Asia. The funnel-shaped rhyton is distinctly a Cretan product, and the men with their long tresses, elaborately woven kilts, and sandals may well be inhabitants of that island. The elaborate gold vases, the string of lapis lazuli beads, and the sack, whose contents are not indicated, are tribute brought to the Egyptian court. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

31. GATHERING HoNEY. The Egyptians had no sugar and consequently apiculture was an important factor in their husbandry. That the method of handling the bees is essentially the same as at present is shown in this picture. The standing man is allowing smoke from his censer to blow into the hives in order to stupefy the bees while his companion extracts the combs of honey and piles them on dishes. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

32. A PAcK OF HouNDS. The Egyptians, always lovers of the chase, laid great store by their hunting dogs, and this pack, a part of the tribute of Nubia, was bound to be highly appreciated. The varied treatment of the heads of these animals gives the picture liveliness despite the usual orderly arrangement of their legs. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

33· DRAWING WATER. The pool is drawn as a square, though it was more likely just an irregular hole with grasses and bushes growing about it. Two men are fetching water. One has waded right in, filled his jar, and is walking out with it on his shoulder. The other is content to lean over the bank and allow the water to run in more slowly. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.


34· BRICKMAKING. This industry is carried on in Egypt today in just the same way as is shown in this picture. Water is poured on the mud and, by stirring with a hoe and treading with the feet, it is worked up to a stiff consistency. The mud is then slapped into a rectangular frame with one side prolonged into a handle. The frame is pulled up carefully and the mud though soft retains its shape and is left to dry in the sun. The workmen here represented are foreign slaves - Asiatics and negroes - employed in the service of the temple of Amun. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

THE TOMB OF ~EN-AMUN (No.93). Though the decorations are to be seen with difficulty owing to a coating of dirt, they include some of the finest work in Egyptian painting. ~en-Amun was Chief Steward of the King and Overseer of the Cattle of Amun, and the representations have added interest since many of them reflect his official life. His sovereign wasAmen-}:lotpe II. About 1430 B.C.

35· SuBJECT NATIONS. The dai:s of the throne of Amenl).otpe II as portrayed in the tomb of ~en-Amun was adorned with representations of peoples subject to the dominion of his majesty. Various nations,each of which is symbolized by a fettered prisoner of the particular ethnic type of his country, are named in ovals designating lands in the Mediterranean, in Mesopotamia, and in North Africa. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

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36. LuNETTE ovER DooRWAY. This is a painted edition of a type of architectural doorway that usually is carved more or less in the round. The rows of hawks' heads (the details have not been drawn in, for the painting is incomplete) should be facing out instead of being in profile. The cats have been selected for triangular spaces, apparently because they fitted, but the artist has hedged on this point and sketched in the traditional symbols of stability over the cats. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies and H. R. Hopgood. Scale I: 3·

37· CATTLE. Long-horned cattle were raised in Egypt from time immemorial and were used for both domestic and sacrificial purposes. This fragment depicts cows, one of which suckles a calf, and an unsubmissive bull. They may be the "Cattle of Amlin" of which ~en-Amun was the overseer, though the disappearance of the surrounding picture makes this uncertain. The painting was evidently highly thought of in antiquity, for it was copied then, as the crosshatching of red lines shows. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale.

38. IBEX AND DoG. A fragment of a hunting scene in which a dog has roused an ibex, which stands at bay, but is ready to spring away at any moment. The skill exhibited by the artist in the portrayal of the ibex, and especially the effective way in which he has given the texture of the animal's hairy coat, is worthy of any day and age. It is no wonder that the picture became a model for later painters, as may be seen by the crossed lines which the Egyptian artists used when copying. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

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39· OsiRIS AND THE GoDDESS OF THE WEsT. An example of the formal painting, following fixed models, which was used in the depiction of religious subjects. The elab~ oration of detail in the painting of the baldachin within which the gods stand is characteristic of the artist of this tomb. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Scale 1:2.

40. FisHEs oF THE NILE. A fragment from a scene showing ~en-Amlin on a visit of inspection to the royal estates in the north of Egypt. The picture shows, crowded together as though to indicate how prolific the waters of the Delta were, a mass of fish of different species. So carefully has the artist delineated the characteristic forms of each that the varieties may easily be distinguished. They include red mullet, carp, catfish, and other species less well known outside of Egypt. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

41. THE KING AS A CHILD. One of ~en-Amlin's claims to royal preferment was the fact that his mother had been the nurse of the king in his childhood. Wishing to make this relationship clear, he caused this scene to be painted in his tomb. The king- his youth is indicated only by his size and not by childish proportions - is seated on the lap of ~en-Amlin's mother, his feet resting on a sort of footstool composed of the figures of foreign captives. This may actually have been a toy with movable parts, as is shown by the strings from about the captives' necks, which are held in the prince's hands. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Scale 1: 3·

42. A PAPYRUs THICKET. The stock tomb scene of fishing and fowling always includes the papyrus marsh as a sort of mise en scene. Here the artist follows the usual for~

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mal arrangement of the umbels and buds and the precise flight of the ducks, but he has introduced a background of flowering reeds which appear through the top and around the edges of the thicket. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

43· DANCING GIRLS. The inscription describes them as "the harim of I:lat-I:Ior, lady of revel" and they have come by royal favor to take part in the ceremonies of dedicating statues of !}.en-Amlin in the temples. Their curiously cut and elaborately decorated dresses are indicative of their being connected with the temple personnel. The great jars of beer are for the purpose of slaking thirst after the performance of the dance. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

44, 45· ATTENDANTS OF I}.EN-AMfrN. In Egypt in the past, as also today, a man's importance was measured by the size of his train. In one of these excerpts from larger scenes is to be seen a pair of servants who are assisting !}.en-Amlin in the sport of spearing fish. They carry extra spears and one has charge of the string of fish already caught. The group of three is waiting for their master to start off on a hunting expedition. One carries the weapons: a bow in its case, a quiver for arrows, and a boomerang; the second brings along a staff and sandals, in case the way prove to be rough, and a bag, possibly containing a cloak; the third, a chair to provide a comfortable seat for !}.en-Amlin should he get tired. Copies in tempera by H. R. Hopgood and N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

46. NEw YEAR's GIFTS. As Chief Steward of the King, !}.en-Amlin had charge of the ceremonies connected with the celebration of the New Year, at which time


presents were given to the king by the workshops which enjoyed the royal patronage. A considerable space is devoted in the tomb to the depiction of this event, which gave the artist a chance to show his skill in portraying a variety of objects too numerous to list here. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Scale 2:9.

47, 48. NEw YEAR's GIFTs. Details from the great scene. The chariot is interesting for its inscription: "The chariot of his majesty, 'The Syrian' by name. Its wood was brought from To-niiter in the country of Naharin." The chariot was a novelty in Egypt, and the Egyptians still made it of wood imported from Asia. A bow, a mace, and a poniard, a coat of scale armor, and elaborate! y decorated quivers were included among the gifts. Copies in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

49· A BEARER oF GIFTS. An excerpt from the New Year's scene. Two vases of breccia are set on a light stand carried by the gift bearer, from whose hands hang an elaborate sunshade, made of alternating black and white feathers with a handle of ivory and gold, and a fly whisk of ivory and horsehair. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale.

59· A MAsTERPIECE oF GoLDWORK. The most prized of the New Year's gifts to the king was an elaborate example of the goldsmith's art. The fact that the Egyptians did not draw in perspective makes the interpreting of such a picture as this difficult. It probably consisted of a central feature, a pedestal supporting dam palms and surrounded by smaller decorative motives. The work was of gold, engraved and inlaid with green stones and carnelian, the monkeys being in the round. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

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4 THE TOMB OF USaR-~ET (No. 56). Royal scribe in the reign of Amen-}:lotpe II. About 1430 B.c.

5I. HUNTING FROM A CHARIOT. Egypt had not known horses or chariots until the invasions of the Hyksos, and their early use by the Egyptians was naturally in war. Here, however, User-}:let has gone out hunting in his chariot and is creating havoc among the desert animals. The scene is unfinished, as may be seen not only by the omission of details, but also by the blank columns where the inscription should be. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

52. ENSIGN BEARERS. Representatives of different companies, carrying their respective ensigns, stand in attitudes of obeisance before their commander. The grouping of the figures is unusual. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

53· A BARBER AT WORK. He has tied up the top hair of his "customer" and is trimming the rest. The other men -recruits for the army- are waiting their turn. Two are napping under a tree. Another pair share the same folding stool, though the seat of one is rather precarious. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

54· A SPIRITED HoRSE. The artist, in an attempt to show the horse's high spirit, has given him a neck as big as his body. A tail held high and an arching neck were evidently considered good points in a horse. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF SEN-NUFER (No. g6). Mayor of Thebes under Amen-l).otpe II. About 1430 B.c.

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55· A TABBY CAT. Another example of a pet cat sitting under the chair of its mistress. The joint of meat which has been given to the cat is shown above the basket within which it should properly be. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF TI:IOT (No. 45). Reign of Amen-J:wtpe II. About 1430 B. c.

56. T?OT AND His MoTHER wORSHIPING. A typical scene of offering to the gods. They are named in the inscription: Amlin, Osiris, and I:Iat·I:Ior. The offerings are placed on four separate papyrus mats shown one above the other. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Scale 4:7.

TOMB OF ZESER-KA-RA c-SONBE. Scribe and Counter of Grain in the Granary of Divine Offerings in the reign of T}:lut-mose IV. About 1415 B.c.

57· LADY AND MAms. A lady, seated on a chair which seems much too low to be comfortable, is being anointed for the feast with perfume which the smaller maid takes from the vessel held by the other. The younger girl is nude except for necklace and girdle. The artist has made the mat extend behind the feet of the maidservants, perhaps to accentuate their being lower in the social scale than their mistresses. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

58. MusiCIANS. An orchestra composed of women furnishing music at a banquet. They play the harp, lute, double lute, and lyre. A child marks time by snapping her fingers and the lutist and flutist also dance with

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abandon to the spirited measure. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF~ MENENA. Scribe of the Fields of the Lord of the Two Lands, an official on the agricultural estates of T}:lut-mose IV. About 1415 B. c.

59· FisHING AND FowLING. This was a stock scene dating from the Old Kingdom and may very well have been painted in tombs whose owners never indulged in these sports. Menena is seen twice in his papyrus canoe in the marshes. On one side he hurls boomerangs at the waterfowl which flutter over the papyrus, and on the other he is in the act of spearingtwohugefishconvenientlyplaced in a sort of bay protruding from the formally pictured rectangular lake, which teems with fish and fowl. His family accompanies him in each case, the ladies very affectionate though not very helpful. The smallest daughter leans far over to pluck a lotus bud. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

6o. HARVEST. In the upper register two men are measuring a field of standing grain with a rope knotted at regular intervals. Two scribes, with a boy who carries their equipment, preside over the survey to record the results. The old man and two other children seem to belong on the farm, as do the couple to the right who are bringing refreshments. Below, the scribes make a record of the number of measures which the harvest has resulted in. In a shelter to the right Menena is being offered two jars of wine while he superintends the winnowing. The horses and chariot which have brought him to the estate are waiting on the left. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

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6r. A LADY WITH OFFERINGS. A member of the family of Menena in the attitude of presenting offerings for his benefit. It is typical of the traditional style of this pe~ riod, pleasing but rather exaggerated in its proportions, indicating facile copying of similar scenes on the part of the artist rather than observation of nature. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

62. GIRLS WITH FLoRAL OFFERINGS. Four maidens carry~ ing lotus and papyrus blossoms and carefully arranged bunches of grapes and pomegranates which are to be added to a collection of offerings for Osiris. Two of the gir Is bear sistra in their right hands. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

63. A NILE SHIP. A vessel of the type used for the voyage to Abydos, a stock subject in the tombs of this period. The boat is sailing upstream, the oarsmen sitting idle. One leans far over the side to scoop up a bowl of water. The forward lookout takes soundings to prevent the ship from running on a mud bank, while the steersman fol~ lows his directions. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

THE TOMB OF PE~IRY. Reign of Amen~ l).otpe III. About 1400 B. c.

64. CRossiNG THE NILE. The boat is towing a funeral barge, the taskmasters on the cabin exhorting the oars~ men to pull hard. A prayer is offered for the arrival on the West Bank. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF NAKHTE. Probably the reign of Tl).ut~mose IV. About 1415 B. c.

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65. THE ToMB oF NAKHTE. His chief title is "Scribe," the only other indicating a very minor role in the priesthood of Amlin. He must have had other means than the income he could have derived from the exercise of an ordinary scribal profession, such as the writing of letters and the setting down of accounts. The title probably served to show that he had an education above the average- a sort of A.B. degree- and it is likely that his wealth consisted of agricultural property.

His tomb is small and its decoration was never completed, for some of the paintings in the outer chamber are unfinished and the scenes which should have occupied the walls of the inner chamber were never begun. The tomb happens to be one of the best preserved in the necropolis of Thebes, and for this reason its offering chamber was chosen as suitable to be copied completely and set up as an example of the kind of room in which Theban tomb paintings occur.

The standard small Theban tomb of the Empire, of which that of N akhte is typical, had in the first place a forecourt formed by cutting into the rock slope of a hillside in order to obtain a more or less vertical fa<;ade. In the center of this the entrance was cut straight into the rock to a depth of three or more feet. The stonecutters then hewed out the rock to right and left until they had formed a narrow rectangular chamber running parallel to the fa<;ade. Opposite the first door they made a second, and beyond that they drove their excavation straight ahead until they had cut out another long chamber similar to the first but at right angles to it. In many cases a third chamber was added beyond the second, and some of the larger tombs are even more elaborate in plan. In the floor of the last chamber was sunk a pit which led to the burial vault.

EGYPTIAN ·wALL PAINTINGS

The forecourt of these simpler tombs was undecorated except for an occasional carved door framing. The chambers on a level with the court were plastered and decorated, the outer usually with scenes of daily life and the inner with ritual and funerary subjects. The burial chambers at the bottoms of the shafts remained undecorated and the shafts themselves were filled and sealed. The upper chambers were open for the performance of the prescribed rites and apparently could be visited at will.

On entering the tomb of Nakhte from the courtyard and turning to the left one sees large figures of him and his wife, Tawy, the Chan tress of Amlin, pouring incense on offerings to the gods who are named in the inscription above them. Below the offerings an ox has been slaughtered and the sacrificial foreleg is being cut off to be added to the pile.

Running along the bottom of this wall is a delightfully animated rural scene. Two yokes of cows are drawing ploughs guided, the one by a bent and bald old man, the other by a vigorous youth who cracks his whip. Other laborers break up the clods with mauls and hoes while their companions sow the grain. One refreshes himself from a waterskin hung from a tree. Beside the path beyond the pool a woodcutter is felling a tree. Nakhte watches the seedtime activities on his lands and above superintends the harvest. The ears of the grain are cut off and packed in rope baskets for transportation to the threshing floor. The laborers, their heads covered with dust cloths, winnow the grain by tossing it into the air and allowing the breeze to carry off the chaff. Two men stand ankle deep in the grain and measure it while a third keeps the tally. Nakhte is protected from the heat of the sun by a temporary shelter of papyrus, and

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an ample supply of food and drink is set out before him. The end wall in this bay of the chamber is occt;tpied

by a painting of a stela, in imitation of pink granite, flanked by figures bearing offerings to add to those already heaped before it. The stela was the door through which the spirit of Nakhte was to enter this chamber from his sepulcher below so as to enjoy the offerings, both painted and actual, which he found therein.

Of the wall next in order only half remains, but it is enough to give us an impression of a lavish entertainment for the ladies and gentlemen of Nakhte's acquaintance. The host and hostess appeared twice in this picture, on the right side, but scarcely anything is left except the amusing pet cat eating a fish under the lady's chair. Before them food and drink are spread out on tables and stands and a son presents bouquets in honor of the occasion. The guests are seated facing them in four groups, though this arrangement was only for the convenience of the artist. In the center musicians play for the company: above, a blind harper, and below, three girls playing harp, lute, and double flute, the lutist accenting the measure with dance steps.

On the other side of the interior doorway, which leads to the inner chamber, the wall is divided horizontally into two main registers. In the upper one Nakhte is hunting wild fowl with boomerangs and spearing fish -the artist has neglected to place the spear in his hands. He and his wife are shown again having wild ducks brought to them by servants. In the lower scene they watch the vintage and the labors of fowlers and fishermen. The arbor with the two vintners plucking the grapes and the figures treading them in the wine press are especially charming bits.

The end wall of the chamber on this side is unfin-


ished. The painter had blocked in the colors and had begun to add the outlines and the details when the work was abandoned. This wall is a good illustration of the Egyptian painter's method of work. The scheme having been laid out over the whole wall, he completed one operation throughout before beginning the next. In the lower scene he has painted the faces and wigs of the six figures and has commenced to put in further details on the seated couple.

The subjects are not interesting to us, though undoubtedly essential to Nakhte's happiness. He and his wife, Tawy, are shown seated while the sem priest performs the rites of consecration over repasts brought in by servants.

The side wall extending from this end of the room to the entrance bears a scene similar to the one on the other side of the doorway. Nakhte and Tawy again make offerings to the gods while behind them servants bring further supplies. .

The ceiling of this decorated chamber is painted as though it were supported by wooden beams. These are painted yellow and were intended to receive the stock offering inscriptions. The five panels between the beams and the walls are painted with a variety of geometrical patterns.

Most of the scenes in this room have been reproduced in color in the first volume of the Tytus Memorial Series, The Tomb of Nakht at Thebes, by Norman de Garis Davies who, with the assistance of Mrs. Davies, Francis Unwin, and Lancelot Crane, made the facsimile copies which have been put together to reproduce the tomb chamber.


TOMB OF SU-RER. Chief Steward and Fan Bearer of the King in the reign of Amen]:lotpe III. About 1400 B. c.

66. AMEN-?OTPE III ENTHRONED. The king, toward whom Su-rer extends the fan, is seated on a throne between the legs of which appears the traditional symbol of the union of Upper and Lower Egypt, the binding together of lily and papyrus. The base of the baldachin which shelters him is decorated with two rows of panels. In the upper row he is shown alternately as a king smiting his enemies and as a sphinx trampling upon them. The lower row symbolizes captive foreign states. Photograph by Harry Burton.

TOMB OF KHAc_EM-I:IET. Royal Scribe and Overseer of the Granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt in the reign of Amen-l:wtpe III. The. tomb though originally painted has now lost its color. The reliefs in which the decorations are carried out are, however, of such admirable. quality that the tomb is one of the most interesting at Thebes. About 1400

B. C.

67, 68. CowHERDS WITH CATTLE. Two scenes from a picture showing the counting of cattle. Groups of cattle, in one case longhorns and in the other a hornless variety, are being led forward for inspection. The cowherds carry rolls of papyrus in their hands, presumably lists of the cattle on the estates which they represent. Photographs by Harry Burton.

6g. INSPECTION oF THE HARVEST. Above, attended by grooms, are four chariots which have brought Khac_ em-]:let and his assistants on their tour of inspection. Pro-

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visions have been deposited in the shade of two trees and a servant is removing eatables from the lunch hamper. In the lower register is another chariot, with sleepy grooms. Two phases of the harvest are shown: reaping the standing grain, and packing it in huge net baskets for transport to the threshing floor. Women glean the fallen heads of grain, and a boy seated on a sack cheers the harvesters with the music of his double flute. Photograph by Harry Burton.

70. KHAc-EM-:~iET's WIFE. A relief from the front of the bench on which is seated a statue of KhaC-em-lfet. Photograph by Harry Burton.

71. A FLEET OF MERCHANT SHIPS. The sailing vessels are shown drawn up to the shore with lowered gangplanks, one of which is being cautiously negotiated by a deck hand with a load on his shoulder. Other sailors are shown in the act of unloading the ships. A woman standing in the doorway of a cabin appears to be delivering a parting injunction to her husband before he goes ashore. The elaborate rigging of the boats, shown only in the case of the nearest one, is· omitted from the others to avoid confusion in the sculpture. Photograph by Harry Burton.

72. TRANSPORT oN THE NILE. The mast of this boat has been lowered and laid on top of the cabin, and the boat is being propelled by oars. Two horses may be seen on the deck and on top of the cabin is a chariot, as well as a bed with its pillow. In the bow a man with a sounding rod stands looking steadfastly ahead, but undoubtedly giving directions to the helmsman who stands attentively in his box at the stern grasping the tiller. Photograph by Harry Burton.


73· OFFERINGS To RENEN-UTET. Food, game birds, and flowers are being brought by KhaC-em-l).et and two "counters of grain," Pe-wal). and Rec, to the cobra-headed goddess, Renen-iitet, "Lady of the Granary," and in return favor is asked for KhaC-em-het. Photograph by Harry Burton.

TOMB OF RAC-MOSE (No. 55). Governor of Thebes and Vizier of Amen-l).otpe IV. The tomb contains the most finished relief to be found in Thebes and in some respects in the whole of Egypt. Sculptured as it was during the early part of the reign of Amenl).otpe IV, it reaches the climax of the refinement and sophistication developed during the preceding reigns of the XVIII Dynasty. This phase of the decorator's art reached its limit in this tomb and a new one began with the official adoption of the Atenist religion, when the king changed his name to Akh-en-Aten and removed the capital to El c Amarneh, taking with him the royal artists. About 1370 B.c.

74· AMEN-~OTPE IV ENTHRONED. The king and the goddess MaCet, who holds in her hand the symbol for one hundred thousand years, are seated under a magnificently decorated baldachin, whose base bears a frieze consisting of a list of captive cities. The relief is especially interesting as a representation of this king in the traditional manner so unlike the portrayal of him by the "C Amarneh school." Photograph by Harry Burton.


75· PRESENTATION To RAC-Mos:E. The vizier, wearing the garment apparently reserved for the holders of that high office and exhibiting the em bon point expected in a man of such importance, is seated on a chair. Behind him stands his wife, Meryet-Pta~. The three girls, Chantresses of Amun, wave sistra and a menyet before him. Photograph by Harry Burton.

76. A YouNG GIRL. She is shown seated on a stool beside the chair of her father. Photograph by Harry Burton.

77· PuRIFICATION oF RAC-Mos:E. RaC-mose stands wearing the garments and carrying the insignia of his office. Before and behind him a sem priest and his companion pour over him the water of purification while they pronounce the formula: "Pure, pure, 0 Osiris, Mayor of the City and Vizier, RaC-mose." Photograph by Harry Burton.

78-81. GuEsTs AT A BANQUET. The four reliefs are all part of one scene representing the guests of Rac_mose at a feast. They are, for the most part, relatives of RaC-mose, and husbands and wives sit side by side. The limestone, which is of poor quality, has had to be patched with plaster, the result being an unfortunately spotty effect. In spite of this defect the reliefs are without question the most beautifully detailed and finely executed in the whole necropolis. There is no evidence of any color, although the details of the eyes were not sculptured but painted in black. Photographs by Harry Burton.

82. Two MEN. The two figures are carrying stalks of papyrus. They are identical except for the treatment of

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their wigs. The artist has produced an admirable effect of transparency in the garments by the softer modeling of the forms which they cover. Photograph by Harry Burton.

83. THREE OFFERING BEARERS. The first alone is named, Bak-en-Amun, the steward of RaC-mose, who begs his master to accept the gifts. The stand borne by the last man is drawn so as to show that its top consists of four compartments. These are really square but the artist has rounded the upper ones to give the impression that the fruit is heaped up. Unlike most of the portraits in the tomb the sculptor has, in the case of these three, carved the details of the eyes, the pupils alone being painted. Photograph by Harry Burton.

TOMB OF NEB-AMUN (No. go). Captain of Police on the West of Thebes in the reign of Tl).ut-mose IV. About 1415 B. c.

84- NEB-AMfiN's GRATITUDE FOR His WEALTH. Above, to the right, is the temple of Amun to which are being brought, at Neb-Amlin's instance, thank offerings for the increase in his vineyards and his herds. The harvest of grapes and the making of wine are shown in the two upper registers. In the third a delegation of soldiers from the troops under his command have come to congratulate Neb-Amun as he sits before his house with his wife and daughter. Below, this landowner is shown, accompanied by two attendants, watching the branding of his cattle while his secretary registers them. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Scale 1:2.

TOMB OF NEB-SENY. Reign of T]:lutmose IV. About 1415 B. c ..

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85. LAmEs AT A BANQUET. The lady to the left is being anointed by a young maidservant while another holds the vessel of perfume. One of the other guests turns about to offer a fruit to her companion. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF MAI:JU, brother of Queen Tiy. Reign of Amen-~otpe III. About 1400 B. c.

86. A FIGHT AMONG PETS. The chair is one in which Queen Tiy is sitting. A pet cat has seized a goose and the resulting racket has so excited a monkey that he is making a flying leap over the pair. The skill of the artist in catching so accurate! y the form of the monkey in mid-air makes this oneof the most admirable of Egyp~ tian animal paintings. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF AMEN-EM-OPET (No. 276). Reign of T~ut-mose IV. About 1415 B. c.

87, 88. ANIMALS OF THE DESERT. The Egyptian artists reproduced accurately the forms and external peculiar~ ities of wild beasts, and also emphasized characteristics of their natures. The hyena, naturally a timid animal, is portrayed looking about apprehensively. The speed and light-footedness of the fox are suggested in the attitudes in which the animals are drawn. Copies in tempera by Nina de G. Davies and C. K. Wil~ kinson. Full scale. ·

TOMB OF TWO SCULPTORS. This tomb is unusual in that two persons possessed burial privileges within it. Ipuky was Superintend-

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ent of Artisans and Sculptor to Amen-1)-otpe III. Neb-Amiin, also a master sculptor, outlived him and succeeded to his office and to the hand of his wife. About 1400 B. c.

8g. THE MEAL oF THE DEAD. The deceased pair are shown seated on ebony chairs before a table of offerings in the form of a ka symbol supported on a standard. The absence of inscriptions makes the identity of the man uncertain. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. XXIX.

90. BANQUETING ScENE. The upper couple are especially honored by being given footstools and fancy chairs. In the second group male guests, three of whom carry the sekhem, a scepter indicating rank, are being adorned with floral collars and anointed with perfume by two serving maids. The ladies in the lowest register are attended by young girls who are nude, an amusing contrast to the maids who are serving the gentlemen. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. VII.

91. PRESENTATION OF THE CuP. The scene is a banquet in honor of Neb-Amiin and his mother, Thepu. His wife passes a cup of wine to him with the words: "Take, drink, pass a pleasant day within thy abode of eternity. From the hand of thy wife, I:Ienet-nofret." The child at the feet of Thepu is the daughter of I:lenet-nofret by her former husband, Ipuky. Above the figures is inscribed a formula addressed to the goddess I:Iat-l:Ior for the benefit of the ka of Neb-Amiin.

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Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. I.

92. A SAcRIFICE To THE Goos. Neb-Amun, accompanied by his mother, Thepu, pours oil of incense over braziers filled with offerings among which hot coals have been scattered, thus causing the oil to become ignited. The flames are to be seen against the papyrus mat which holds the four jars of ointment. This would ordinarily have been set above the offerings, but it has been displaced· by the formula which records the presenting of incense and sacred gum to Amun, Osiris, Anubis, and other deities. The small figure is a servant who assists in the performance of the ceremony. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. VIII.

93· CEILING PATTERNS. The ceilings of the tomb of NebAmlin and lpuky were destroyed but enough fragments were recovered to restore the several patterns which occurred in the different panels. Copies in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. XXX.

94- ARTISANS AT WoRK. Both of the men who shared the ownership of this tomb were connected with the administration of one of the royal workshops. One of the two is shown here superintending the artisans at their labors. The gold is being weighed out by means of large

·scales. The hull's head is the weight and it balances ten rings of gold, the form in which the raw metal was cast. In the upper register carpenters are producing a large catafalque for an important tomb. The various

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processes are graphically shown: sawing the wood to appropriate thickness, adzing out roughly the symbols which are to decorate it, finishing the details with the chisel, and the final putting together of the whole. Below, the metalworkers and the jewelers are at work. The man at the right is using a small furnace. Before him a pair of workers smooth out gold libation vases. A third is engraving a sphinx in the same metal. Another raises the lid of a jewel box to show the beautiful pectoral which it contains. Two of the men present to the superintendent for his inspection samples of the finished work of the shop. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pls. XIII and XIV.

95· PuRIFYING AND BEWAILING THE DEAD. The scene takes place at the door of the tomb in the West to which have been brought the bodies of Neb-Amun and Ipuky in their coffins. The picture is by no means evidence that the two died at the same time, but rather an example of the disregard which the Egyptians paid to the element of time in their representations. The same rites of purification and of "opening the mouth" were performed over the two bodies, they were mourned by the same wife, and the artist, with true economy, has shown both events in one picture. The passage of time is, however, marked by the age of the wife, I:Jenet-nofret, who as a young woman clasps the feet of the husband of her youth, Ipuky, and then as an aged widow, with streaming eyes and casting dust upon her head, bewails her. second husband, Neb-Amlin. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. XXI.


96. RELATIVES BRINGING OFFERINGS. This family group illustrates very well one of the habits of the Egyptian painter- his disinclination to show his subjects in anything but an ideal form. Rarely, except in the case of workmen or servants, are any of the traits of age portrayed. When ladies and gentlemen are painted it is in the best light possible. In the same way they are always represented in fixed, conventional poses, but people of lower rank may be shown in a much greater variety of attitudes, depending on what they are doing. In this picture the first figure and the last are brother and sister. The two in the middle are their grand parents, though no one would guess it. The inscriptions, however, make the relationship certain. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

97· MouRNERs CRossiNG THE NILE. A funeral barge is being towed to the West Bank of the river by a vessel carrying relatives and friends of the deceased. The gesticulations of the women, their cries, and the tears streaming from their eyes are in marked contrast to the stoical attitude of the men, who sit with folded arms gazing steadily ahead. On the bow of the boat which carries the bier the sem priest is pouring a libation and burning incense. Copy in tempera by H. R. Hopgood. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. XXVI.

98. FuNERARY FuRNISHINGS. Two figures from a procession carry paraphernalia necessary to the deceased for deposit in the tomb. The objects include a chest, a leather writing case, a pair of sandals, two shawabti boxes on a mat, and a scribe's palette and tablet. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

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99· A TEAM oF Cows. They are yoked by the horns and drag the sledge which bears the funeral bier. The old shock-headed herdsman who drives them sprinkles milk before them on the road to ensure a successful journey. A girl, her wig covered by a kerchief, leads the procession, holding a bivalve shell before her. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, The Tomb of Two Sculptors, pl. XXII.

TOMB NO. 226. The owner, whose name is lost, was the Overseer of the Royal Nurses in the reign of Amen-l_lotpe III. About 1400 B. c.

100. AMEN-J;iOTPE III AND Hrs MoTHER. The king, behind whom stands his mother, Mut-em-iiya, is seated on a throne sheltered by a triple baldachin. The sets of columns supporting the three entablatures are of intricate detail, the outermost columns resting on a platform. This is decorated with figures of foreigners symbolizing subject nations kneeling in suppliance. Painted and restored from a great number of looS~e fragments by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

TOMB OF J:IUY (No. 40). This tomb has recently become famous because it contains a picture of Tut-Cankh-Amiin. J:Iuy's most important office was that of Viceroy of Nubia under this king. About 1355 B. c.

101. THE VrcEREGAL DAHABiYEH. The vessel is twice depicted. In one view she is sailing up the Nile to the southern provinces of the Empire. The great sail is set and in addition the oarsmen are pulling at their oars.

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The other picture shows her tied up to the bank with no signs of activity on board. The artist in his desire to indicate the great size of the boat has perhaps made the oarsmen unduly small. I:Iuy's chariot horses in their stall and he himself in the forward cabin give a rather better idea of the scale. The dahabiyeh is gaudily decorated, the main cabin with a geometrical pattern and the smaller cabins and hull with representations of Montu, the god of war. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

102. FREIGHT BoATS. Two boats, probably of the local Nubian variety, have gone aground on a mud flat and are being dragged over it with much hauling and shoving. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

103. THE PRESENTATION oF NuBIAN TRIBUTE To THE KING. The princes of northern and southern Nubia, together with their followers, have voyaged down the Nile to Thebes with I:Iuy, viceroy of the southern provinces, and are led to an audience with the king, Tut-CankhAmun, in order that they may express their submission and present tribute before their sovereign lord. To the right I:Iuy is seen before the enthroned king rendering an account of an exercise of his office as viceroy in the South. Behind him is the tribute, raw materials of value in bowls and trays, ebony and ivory piled up in a heap, furniture, shields, and a chariot. The more elaborate gifts, masterpieces of the goldsmith's art, are set out before the throne. I:Iuy kneels in admiration as he presents these to the king.

Above he appears again, encouraging the princes of northern Nubia to advance. The first three abase themselves in the royal presence. A princess is followed by

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"the children of the chiefs of all foreign lands." Porters bear the gifts brought by another lady who rides in a chariot drawn by oxen. Fettered prisoners are accompanied by their women and children, one of whom is carried in a basket on its mother's back.

The second and third registers depict princes of southern Nubia and their retainers. Their presents include a giraffe and four oxen. The horns of these end in hands and between them are set dummy heads of Nubians so that it shall appear that they also are praising the king. Another ox is carrying between its horns a curious contrivance with representations of fish and plants.

In the bottom register I:Iuy, shown for the fourth time, is welcomed by his household and friends on his return from the palace.

The left end of the scene shows the boats in which the princes and their tribute were brought down from the Upper Nile.

The parts of this wall painting that are in light colors no longer exist in the original. They have been restored from early tracings and drawings of the tomb. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF USER-I:IET (No. sr). Chief Priest of the ka of Tl,lut-mose I in the reigns of Ramesses I and Setl,l y I. The decoration of his tomb gives evidence of the marked change in both style and subject matter which followed closely on the c Amarneh period. Some of the paintings have a pictorial quality never attained by the careful and conservative artists of the XVIII Dynasty and others show a looseness which presaged the early decadence of the Theban school.

EGYPTIAN ·wALL PAINTINGS

104. FLoRAL OFFERINGS FOR THE GoD MoNTU. Four figures from a procession carry stalks of papyrus and other flowers to add to the offerings which User-}:let is making to the god and his consort. The male figure is a priest with shaven head, wearing the leopard skin of his office. The ladies are relatives of User-}:let. The ease with which such details as the hair of the wigs are painted is markedly different from XVIII Dynasty work of the same sort, and yet this broad manner is often less pleasing, as in the case of the papyrus umbels and flowers. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

105. WEIGHING THE HEART. The traditional picture of the judgment before Osiris in which the heart of the deceased is weighed against Right. Anubis leads User-}:let into the Judgment Hall. MaCet, goddess of justice, and T}:lot, scribe of the gods, preside over the balances. A · monster stands ready to devour him should the scales not weigh level, but that is of course never the result. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

106. THE DEcEASED ENTERTAINED BY THE GoDDESS NfJT. User-}:let, with his wife and mother, is shown seated in the shade of the sycamore tree, the abode of the goddess. She herself, wearing her tree symbol on her head, pours out water into the cups which her guests hold, and extends to them a tray of fruit and cakes. The souls of the two ladies hover over their heads in the form of human-headed birds, and at the edge of the pool of the goddess the souls of User-}:let and his wife drink water scooped up in their hands. This picture, perhaps the most beautiful in the necropolis, shows a breadth of conception and a power of execution which make evident the high rank to which the artists of the Theban school could attain.


Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. I.

107. THE VoYAGE To ABYDOS. A proper burial entailed a voyage, either of the body of the deceased or of his statue, to the tomb of Osiris at Abydos, but it is doubtful whether at this period the journey was ever carried out. The representation in the tomb sufficed. The artist has made a very decorative symmetrical frieze of his subject. The boat appears twice in the center, floating down to Abydos on the left and sailing back to Thebes on the right. The pair do homage to the god at Abydos and at the conclusion of the journey are received by Anubis in whose keeping they are to be buried. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

108. UsER-:r;iET BEFORE OsiRis. User-l,let, having passed the test of the scales, is an acquitted soul and kneels at the feet of Osiris. Behind the god of the dead stands Amentyet, goddess of the West, with outspread, protecting wings. The garish colors are characteristic of the later Ramesside period and the painting was probably not done by the artist who executed the better pictures in the tomb. A visitor has scribbled his name behind the goddess, adding, "Osiris is my Day." Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

109. UsER-~ET AnoRING THE DEITIES oF THE WEsT. He kneels before Horus and Amentyet, behind whom is the western desert, painted with the colors it sometimes assumes at sunset. The baboons climbing the mountain join in the adoration. The other groups of three with jackals' and hawks' heads represent the souls of the prehistoric dynasties of Nekhen and Buto. The painting is an example of the tendency in this period to substitute

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purely funerary and religious subjects for the formerly more popular scenes of daily life. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

110. AN OFFERING To THE DEIFIED THUT-Mos:E I. In his office of Chief Priest to this deceased king User-l,let performed rites for his benefit on stated occasions and has depicted one of these in his tomb. He wears the sem priest's garment and is followed by his mother and his wife. The mother carries over her arm a floral piece in the form of the symbol for life. A small daughter has joined the procession, her head shaven except for the side locks. Copy in tempera by Norman Hardy. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. V.

III. OFFERINGS To OsiRIS. User-l,let, accompanied by members of his family, is pouring oil of incense over offerings heaped on four stands. Some of the innovations of the period rna y clear 1 y be seen here. The garments show their pleats by differences of tone instead of by lines, except where these mark the tighter gathering at the waist. Shading is used under the chin and the lips are colored red. Creases are marked in the neck, and at the corner of the mouth. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. VII.

TOMB OF APUY. Sculptor of Amun during the reign of Ramesses II. About 1250

B.C.

112. BuiLDING A CATAFALQUE. As Chief Sculptor and Overseer of the Workshops of Amun, Apuy had charge of the manufacture of royal funerary and temple equipment. In his own tomb is a picture of his artisans at

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work on the construction and decoration of an elaborate catafalque. On the roof a carpenter is cutting a mortise in a most inappropriate place, while another smooths down the boards with sandstone. A sleepy workman is being aroused by a companion. At the left, below, one of the workmen is having his eyes touched up with black eye paint. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXXVIII.

I I 3· PAsTORAL ScENE. Herdsmen, bringing with them provisions for the day, have driven a herd of goats to graze in newly harvested fields. Two goats are nibbling the foliage of trees and one of the herdsmen is chopping down a branch, perhaps for one of the smaller kids.

In the scene adjoining this on the right a freight boat is landing its load of grain. A woman has set up a refreshment stand on the shore and is trading with the sailors, receiving a sack of grain for two small cakes. The bargain may include a drink of wine or beer from the jars behind her. In the mouth of the wine amphora is a drinking tube which permits the wine to be sipped without disturbing the lees. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXXIV.

I I4- SEINING FisH. The net, supported by floats, has been dragged through the water by the two boats, and a number of fish have been caught in its meshes. Though painted without great detail the different varieties of fish are accurate! y represented. The artist has not considered scale when drawing them, for they are the most important item in the scene. The captains of the two


boats shout directions as the crews keep the boats the proper distance apart for the men hauling in the net. The water, indicated by the usual zigzag ripples, is covered with water lilies- nymphaea cerulea for the most part, with one bloom of the rarer nymphaea lotus. To the right a clump of papyrus separates this scene from one showing the netting of waterfowl. Copy in tempera by Nina de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies} Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXXV.

rrs. THE VINTAGE. Peasants are gathering bunches of ripe grapes into baskets while three tread out the juice in the wine press, saving themselves from falling by holding the ropes which hang from the crossbar. Amphorae, filled with wine and sealed with clay, are stacked against the wine press. The treatment of the vines is a departure from the traditional trelliswork with formal arrangement of fruit and foliage, but the grape leaves themselves still retain the usual unnatural form. Copy by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies} Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXXIII.

rr6. A CATCH OF FisH. As the net is hauled in, a boy removes the fish from it and tosses them in a pile on the shore. The artist has forgotten to put in the detail and the pile looks like a pale blue balloon. A woman fills baskets with the fish and a man carries them off to be cleaned.

The treatment of the trees, unusually free, is characteristic of this period. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies} Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXXIX.


117. APuY's HousE AND GARDEN. Part of the front of a house and steps leading up to the door are shown. From the lotus-covered pond a gardener is raising water in a shaduf to irrigate the garden. The unconventional manner in which papyrus, pomegranate, and willow are painted is typical of XIX Dynasty tomb decorations. Restored by N. de G. Davies from fragments of the original and an earlier copy. Full scale. Reproduced in color: Davies, Two Ramesside Tombs, pl. XXIX.

TOMB OF PE-NEHASY. Reign of Ramesses II. About 1250 B. c.

118. A RELIGious PRoCESSION. The scene is the temple of Amiin, presumably at Karnak, whose pylon with its flagpoles and pennants is shown at the right. An enormous libation vase with a lid shaped like the head of a ram, one of the forms of the god Amiin, is being carried in procession. The picture, in which lack of care and finish is so evident, is typical of Ramesside painting, though its decorative value is still high. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

TOMB OF SEN-NUDEM. Servant in the Place of Truth, a minor priestly office. His exact date is not certain, late XIX or early XX Dynasty. About 1200 B. c.

119. FIELDS oF THE BLEST. Sen-niidem and his wife offer a hymn to the sun god ReC and to Osiris. Beyond this his son performs the ritual of the opening of the mouth. The lower part of the picture is an interesting example of the change in point of view of the tomb decorations of this period. Sen-niidem has transferred the agricultural scenes, popular in the XVIII Dynasty, from

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the earth to the after world. Instead of looking on at the labors of his servants he himself is engaged with his wife in ploughing and reaping. He cuts the heads of the grain while his wife packs them into a basket. Below this the pair are pulling up flax. Farther along he ploughs with a team of cows while his wife sows the seed behind him. At the bottom is an orchard of sycamores, and date and dom palms separated from a row of shrubs by a narrow canal. A larger one surrounds the whole compo-sition.

The picture is charming, but not typical of the Ramesside style of painting. It is influenced, if not actually painted, by the artists who illustrated the funerary papyri of this later period. Copy in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Scale 1:2.

TEMPLE OF I:JAT-SHEPSUT. The reliefs of the mortuary temple of Queen l:fat-shepsut at Deir el Bal:ui have suffered greatly owing to the damage wrought by Tl,lut-mose III, her son-in-law and successor, who hacked out every representation of the queen, and by the Atenists who were equally thorough in deleting the names and pictures of the god Amlin. Yet here and there, in places protected from the weather, some bits of color remain and preserve very nearly their original brilliancy. About 1485 B. c.

120, 121. THE VuLTURE GoDDEss NEKHBET OF EL KAB, and THE HAWK GoD HoRus oF EDFU. These two pictures are good examples of the Egyptian love of symmetry, practised even more in temples than in tombs, and of their readiness to turn the symbolical to a dec~

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rative purpose. The main wall of the porch of the chapel of Anubis bears a scene on each side of the entrance. In one I:Jat-shepsut makes offering to Anubis, in the other to Amun. In each case the queen is given divine protection; on the left that of N ekhbet in her earth! y manifestation, a vulture, on the right that of Horus of Edfu, a hawk. The two birds hover over the figures of the queen, now completely deleted. Above them the symbol of the sky extends across the whole scene. Copies in tempera by C. K. Wilkinson. Full scale.

PALACE OF AMEN-I:fOTPE III. On the West Bank at Thebes this king constructed for Queen Tiy a pleasure lake and near it erected a palace to which they and the court might repair from Thebes. Unlike temples and tombs, palaces were constructed of sun-baked mud brick instead of stone, with reed and plaster ceilings in place of more permanent materials. Palaces were intended to be occupied only by the king who built them; they were not expected to last forever, as were the temples. The consequence is that little remains of the dwellings of the kings of Egypt and we are dependent on scanty fragments for determining the nature of their decoration.

122. A RuNNING CALF. The original was the decoration of a low brick wall, built out from the side of a chamber, serving as one of the supports of a long counter-like shelf in the wardrobe of a lady belonging to the king' s harim. The space to be painted was small and the artist chose a subject to suit its shape. The manner in which the subject is presented, its naturalism, and the strong


feeling of motion expressed in the pose of the animal are in marked contrast to the set and static forms used by tfie tomb painters. The papyrus thicket, on the other hand, is formally composed, but it is merely used as a background for the subject. Copy in tempera by W. J. Palmer-Jones. Full scale.

123. A STAND oF FRUIT. This was on the end of the support decorated by the previous picture. The simplicity of the subject is noteworthy. In a tomb painting it would appear in an offering scene or set before guests at a banquet. Here it is the whole subject, chosen simply because it suited the purpose of the artist, not because it, as a subject, had anything to do with the rest of the scheme of decoration in the room. The simple framing, too, is quite unlike anything one would expect in tomb painting. The stand supports a basket of dom nuts. Copy in tempera by W. J. Palmer-Jones. Full scale.

124. CEILING WITH BuLLs' HEADS. While palace decoration is usually naturalistic there are examples of borrowing from the more formal patterns of the tomb painter's craft. Interlacing spirals had been used for a long period as a decorative design. The addition of the bulls' heads with rosettes between their horns is, however, a novelty. The motive was borrowed from Cretan art, probably from the decoration of imported golden vessels, representations of which are still preserved in one of the tombs. Copy in tempera by W. J. Palmer-Jones. Scale I :2.

125. A BuLL. Naturalism is again evident in this subject. The feeling of motion is not so marked as in the running calf, but it does not take much imagination even to hear the sound as the bull draws his hoof out of the


sticky mud. The weight of the animal and his slow, de~ liberate movements are admirably expressed. Observa~ tion of nature on the part of the artist is apparent in the way he has placed the animal's legs, which in tomb paintings are almost invariably drawn in the "pacing" position. Copy in tempera by W. f. Palmer-Jones. Full scale.

126. A CLUMP oF PAPYRUS. This plant is often seen in tomb paintings, but there it always serves the purpose of setting the scene, in pictures of .fishing or fowling, for example. Here the few stalks stand alone, .filling ade~ quately the space to be decorated. While the painting is sketchily done and formally composed, it represents very well this favorite plant of the ancient Egyptians. Copy in tempera by W. f. Palmer-Jones. Full scale.

127. CEILING PATTERN WITH PIGEONS. The first painter who decorated a ceiling in this manner must have been struck by the effect as he looked up at a flock of pigeons flying about a columbarium. The Egyptians had a set way of drawing birds in flight. This artist has used the standard copy, but has varied it somewhat by giving different positions to the heads of the birds. Copy in tempera by W. f. Palmer-Jones. Scale I :2.

THE NORTHERN PALACE AT EL c AMARNEH. Akh-en-Aten ruled first in Thebes as Amen-1;wtpe IV, holding to there~ ligion of his fathers, the worship of Amlin and all of the other gods of Egypt. After some years, moved by a monotheistic belief, he proclaimed the Aten, the disk of the sun, as the sole god, and, on account of the opposition of the Theban priesthood, moved his

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capital from Thebes to El c Amarneh. There he set up his court, building temples and palaces. The decoration of these latter was carried out in the same spirit of naturalism which we see evidenced in the paintings from the palace of his father, Amen-}:lotpe III. The wall paintings are, if anything, more ambitious and more finished than the ones of the preceding reign, in so far as we can judge from the few examples which have been preserved in either case.

128. A GoosE. The best fragment from a very much destroyed scene showing the feeding of domesticated fowls by palace attendants. The feathering, pose, and crook of the neck as the bird lowers its head to feed are portrayed with great accuracy and a strong feeling for naturalism. Copy in tempera by N. de G. Davies. Full scale.

129. A PAPYRUS SwAMP. This painting is part of the decoration of a small room in the Northern Palace at El c Amarneh. The scene was continuous and covered the four walls except where it was interrupted by a door and a window, the latter opening on a garden court which appears to have been an aviary. Possibly the room itself was originally intended for birds, the niches, which appear as blank rectangles in the copy, having been places for them to build their nests. The copy reproduces what was left of the decoration on the west wall, the best preserved in the room.

The painting represents the edge of a papyrus swamp inhabited by birds. A stream of water, dotted with lotus flowers, is bordered by banks of black mud from which spring small plants. Beyond rises a rich growth of papyrus, forming a luxuriant green background for

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rock pigeons, turtle doves, and shrikes. A kingfisher, too, is caught in the act of diving for his prey. The artist, though faithful to nature in the details of his painting, has disregarded nature when it suited his purpose. Wishing to avoid the blank palisade of reeds which a true rendering of papyrus would produce, he has drawn some of the stems absurdly short and made others bend over without charging them with the necessary weight of bird or nest, in this way bringing the papyrus umbels into the middle field. In order to increase the height of the band of reddish color made by the bracts at the base of the stalks he has multiplied these and raised the ones behind above those in front, almost as if he were aware of this principle of perspective. Some of the lotuses have been raised on impossibly stiff stems in order to add color to the green mass of the papyrus. The artist has painted the birds so that they can be recognized at a glance and yet has given a twist to their wing feathers which gives them a perky appearance but is not in the least naturalistic. The water is indicated by the sharp zigzags which always meant water to the Egyptian. The composition though in essence naturalistic has, by the artist's very disregard of nature, by his bending of nature to meet his demands, by his combining of tradition with novelty, become a superb decorative painting. Copy in tempera by Norman and Nina de G. Davies. Full scale.

OF THIS BOOK

ONE THO U SAND COPIES WERE PRINTED

IN JANUARY, 1930

egyptian wall paintings - libmma.contentdm.oclc.org

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