Fragment of a Hunting Scene, Tomb of Intef

Art Historical Context

Step into ancient Egypt with this vivid *Fragment of a Hunting Scene from the Tomb of Intef, a precious facsimile created by renowned Egyptologist Nina Garis Davies. Dating to the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty (. 1479–1458 B.C.), the original wall painting adorned the Theban tomb of a noble named Intef, capturing a dynamic moment of aristocratic pursuit amid the Nile's lush marshes. Rendered in tempera on paper at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this 25.5 x 34 cm copy preserves the fragment's intricate details with remarkable fidelity, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1948. Hunting scenes like this were staples of elite Egyptian tombs, symbolizing the triumph of order over chaos and evoking renewal and fertility. Figures—likely Intef or attendants—wield spears and throw sticks at fleeing birds and hippos, rendered in the classic Egyptian style: flat, vibrant profiles with symbolic hierarchy where the most important elements loom largest. These paintings weren't mere decoration; they ensured the deceased's eternal prowess in the afterlife, blending realism with ritual. Davies's watercolor facsimile, a 20th-century marvel, safeguards these fragile originals from decay, offering modern viewers an intimate window into Dynasty 18 artistry. Marvel at the bold colors and poised energy— a testament to Egypt's enduring artistic 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...