Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye Enthroned Beneath a Kiosk, Tomb of Anen
ca. 1390–1352 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
Facsimile: H. 71.2 × W. 103.4 cm (28 1/16 × 40 11/16 in.); Framed: H. 73 × W. 104.5 cm (28 3/4 × 41 1/8 in.); Scale 1:2
Classification
Facsimile, Anen (TT 120), Amenhotep III, Queen Tiye, kiosk
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.8.8
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the grandeur of ancient Egypt with this vivid facsimile by Nina de Garis Davies capturing a royal scene from the Tomb of Anen in Thebes. Dating to around 1390–1352 B.C. during Dynasty 18 of the New, it depicts Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his queen, Tiye, enthroned beneath a kiosk. Amenhotep III's reign marked Egypt's golden age of prosperity and artistic splendor, with monumental building projects and diplomatic marriages showcasing imperial might. The composition features the iconic "walk like an Egyptian" profile style, striding figures on thrones, surrounded by animals and attendants, symbolizing divine kingship and eternal harmony. Rendered in tempera on paper at a 1:2 scale (71.2 × 103.4 cm), this meticulous copy preserves the original wall painting's vibrant colors and intricate details, which might have faded over millennia. Nina de Garis Davies, a pioneering 20th-century artist and Egyptologist, created such facsimiles to document endangered tomb art for institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired via the Rogers Fund in 1933. Her technique revives the flat, symbolic forms and hieratic poses typical of New Kingdom reliefs, emphasizing status through size and gesture. This artwork highlights Queen Tiye's unprecedented prominence—often shown equal in scale to her husband—reflecting evolving roles for royal women. It invites us to ponder the afterlife beliefs encoded in these tombs, where pharaohs and elites sought immortality amid cosmic order. A window to Egypt's enduring legacy!
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...