Queen Nefertari Kneeling in Adoration, Tomb of Nefertari

Art Historical Context

Behold the graceful figure of Queen Nefertari one of ancient Egypt's most beloved royal consorts, captured kneeling in adoration in this exquisite facsimile from her tomb in the Valley of Queens. Dating to the New Kingdom's Ramesside period (asty 19, ca. 1279–1213 B.C.), the original wall painting adorned the opulent burial chamber of Ramesses II's Great Royal Wife, whose tomb—discovered in 1904—remains a pinnacle of Egyptian artistry for its vibrant colors and refined details. Rendered in tempera on paper at a precise 1:2 scale by pioneering Egyptologist Nina de Garis Davies in the early 20th century, this 46 x 34 cm work preserves the tomb's fresco-like techniques, where pigments were applied to wet plaster for luminous, enduring hues. Davies's meticulous copies, acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art via the Rogers Fund in 1930, allow us to appreciate the original's spiritual purpose: depictions of the queen offering to deities ensured her eternal life and divine favor. Nefertari's portrayal, with its elegant proportions and hieroglyphic elegance, exemplifies 19th Dynasty ideals of beauty and piety, making this piece a window into the afterlife beliefs that drove such masterpieces. A testament to both ancient devotion and modern scholarship, it invites you to ponder the queen's timeless 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...