Men from Punt Carrying Gifts, Tomb of Rekhmire

Art Historical Context

Step into the vibrant world of ancient Egypt with Nina de Garis Davies's watercolor facsimile, *Men from Punt Carrying Gifts, the Tomb of Rekhmire* (ca. 1479–1420 B.C.). This tempera-on-paper copy, at a precise 1:1 scale, captures a lively scene from the New Kingdom tomb of Rekhmire (TT 100) in Thebes' Sheikh Abd el-Qurna It depicts dark-skinned men from the legendary land of Punt—likely in the Horn of Africa—bearing tribute like ebony, ivory, gold, and exotic animals to pharaohs of Dynasty 18, showcasing Egypt's far-reaching trade networks and imperial power. Davies, a pioneering early 20th-century artist and Egyptologist, created these meticulous copies to preserve fading tomb paintings threatened by time, vandalism, and climate. When photography couldn't fully capture colors and details, her hand-rendered facsimiles became invaluable records, blending artistry with archaeology. Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1930 via the Rogers Fund, this work highlights the intersection of ancient ritual art and modern scholarship. The scene's cultural significance lies in its glimpse of Punt expeditions, symbols of prosperity and divine favor, rendered in the Egyptians' iconic flat, profile style with vivid hieroglyphs and symbolic goods. A testament to Rekhmire's vizier role under Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, it invites us to marvel at Egypt's global connections over 3,500 years ago.

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...