Nakht and his Wife Receiving Offerings
1909; original ca. 1410–1370 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
H. 37 cm × W. 71 cm (14 9/16 × 27 15/16 in.) scale 1:2; Frame: H. 40.5 cm × W. 74 cm × D. 2 cm (15 15/16 × 29 1/8 × 13/16 in.)
Classification
Facsimile, TT 52, offering
Period
Twentieth Century; original New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1915
Accession Number
15.5.20
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This tempera on paper facsimile, created in 1909 by Norman de Garis Davies, reproduces a vibrant wall painting from the tomb of Nakht, a New Kingdom official who lived during Dynasty 18 (ca. 1410–1370 B.C.). The scene shows Nakht and his wife receiving offerings, a classic motif in Egyptian funerary art meant to magically provide sustenance for the deceased in the afterlife. Davies, renowned for his meticulous copies of Theban tombs, worked at half-scale (1:2) to preserve the original’s lively colors and details before they could fade or suffer damage. As a 20th-century recreation in the Metropolitan Museum’s Egyptian Art collection, the work highlights the enduring value of such facsimiles. They allow modern audiences to experience the artistic conventions of ancient Egypt—stylized figures, symbolic gestures, and harmonious compositions—while the original tomb painting remains protected. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1915, this piece serves as both a scholarly record and an inviting window into New Kingdom beliefs about eternity and abundance.
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...