East Wall, North Side of Nakht's Offering Chapel
1909–10; original ca. 1410–1370 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
Framed: H. 122.6 cm (48 1/4 in.); w. 174 cm (68 1/2 in.); th. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.) Scale: 1:1
Classification
Facsimile, TT 52, offering, Nakht, Tawy
Period
Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1915
Accession Number
15.5.19a
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Step into ancient Egypt with this stunning full-scale facsimile of the East Wall, North from Nakht's Offering Chapel originally painted around 1410–1370 B.C. during the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty. vibrant tomb decorations, typical of elite Theban burials, served a vital ritual purpose: ensuring the deceased received eternal offerings of food, drink, and incense from family and gods. Scenes likely depict Nakht—possibly a high-ranking official—amid stylized figures presenting sustenance, embodying the Egyptians' profound belief in the afterlife's abundance. Created in 1909–10 by pioneering Egyptologist Norman de Garis Davies using tempera on paper, this 1:1 reproduction captures the original's delicate colors and intricate details with remarkable fidelity. Davies' meticulous watercolor facsimiles, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acquired via Rogers Fund in 1915), preserve fragile wall paintings threatened by time and environment. Measuring 122.6 x 174 cm framed, it invites us to marvel at ancient artistry—flat perspectives, symbolic hierarchies, and vivid pigments derived from minerals—bridging millennia to reveal a culture's devotion to immortality.
About the Artist
Norman de Garis Davies · 1865–1941
Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941) was a British Egyptologist and archaeological artist whose meticulous copies of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings constitute one of the most important records of pharaonic art ever made. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, he originally trained for the ministry before being drawn into Egyptology through his involvement with the Egypt Exploration Fund in the 1890...