Dog Named Ebony Under Owner's Chair, Tomb of Duaerneheh

Art Historical Context

This charming facsimile captures a tender detail from an ancient Egyptian tomb painting in the burial chamber of Duaerneheh, a high official during Egypt’s New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1479–1458 B.C.). Beneath the owner’s chair sits a sleek black dog, affectionately labeled “Ebony,” a name that likely refers to its dark coat. Such personal vignettes of beloved pets were sometimes included in tomb decoration to ensure the deceased enjoyed familiar comforts in the afterlife. Created by British artist Nina de Garis Davies, the work is rendered in tempera on paper at roughly the original scale. Davies spent decades meticulously copying wall paintings in Egyptian tombs, employing water-based pigments to record colors and details before many originals faded or were damaged. Her facsimiles, now in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, remain invaluable records that allow modern viewers to appreciate the warmth and humanity of ancient Egyptian art. Beyond its documentary value, the image offers a rare glimpse of everyday affection in a culture often remembered for its monumental grandeur. The presence of a named pet underscores how Egyptians integrated their daily lives into beliefs about eternity.

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...