Anubis Weighing the Heart, Tomb of Nakhtamun

Art Historical Context

In the heart of ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, *Anubis Weighing Heart* captures a pivotal moment from the Book of the Dead: the jack-headed god Anubis places the deceased's heart on scales against the feather of Maat, goddess of truth and justice. If balanced, the soul enters paradise; if not, it's devoured by the monster Ammit. This scene adorned the tomb of Nakhtun, a high-ranking official during Egypt's New Kingdom (ca. 1279–1213 B.C.), Dynasty 19, in the Ramesside period—a golden age of imperial power under pharaohs like Ramesses II. This vibrant facsimile, created by pioneering Egyptologist Nina de Garis Davies, faithfully reproduces the original wall painting using tempera on paper (65.5 x 68 cm). Davies, active in the early 20th century, specialized in meticulous copies of Theban tombs, preserving fading frescoes through precise color matching and scale (1:1). Her technique revives the bold outlines, vivid pigments, and symbolic details typical of Egyptian tomb art, meant to guide the ka (spirit) eternally. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art department (Rogers Fund, 1933), this work offers visitors a window into Ramesside religious fervor, where art served immortality. Marvel at Anubis's watchful gaze— a testament to humanity's timeless quest for cosmic balance.

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...