Sculptors at Work, Tomb of Rekhmire
ca. 1479–1425 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on Paper
Dimensions
facsimile: h. 54 cm (21 1/4 in); w. 38.5 cm (15 3/16 in), scale 1:1, framed: h. 57.2 cm (22 1/2 in); w. 41.3 cm (16 1/4 in)
Classification
Facsimile, Rekhmire (TT 100), sculptors
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.4.90
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
About this artwork
Sculptors at Work, Tomb of Rekhmire is a work by artist Nina de Garis Davies, created in ca. 1479–1425 B.C.. The work was created using tempera on paper. It measures facsimile: h. 54 cm (21 1/4 in); w. 38.5 cm (15 3/16 in), scale 1:1, framed: h. 57.2 cm (22 1/2 in); w. 41.3 cm (16 1/4 in). This piece represents the artistic traditions of New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, Upper Egypt, Thebes, embodying the aesthetic values and technical expertise of its makers. This work exemplifies the artistic achieveme...
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling workshops of ancient Egypt with *Sculors at Work*, a meticulous facsimile by Nina de Garis Davies a vivid wall painting from the Tomb Rekhmire in The. Dating to the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty (. 1479–1425 B.C.), this captures skilled men laboring on sculptures, offering a rare glimpse into the daily lives of artisans during Egypt's golden age under pharaohs like Thutm III. Rendered in tempera on paper at a 1:1 scale (21¼ × 15⅛ in.), Davies's copy preserves the original's brilliant colors and intricate details, which often fade in tombs. Rekhmire, a powerful vizier, commissioned such depictions to showcase the empire's craftsmanship—evident in the figures' focused postures and tools, highlighting the specialized skills passed down through generations. Displayed in the Met's Egyptian Art department since 1930 (Rogers Fund), this piece reveals the cultural reverence for sculpture in temples and tombs, embodying New Kingdom aesthetics of harmony, realism, and divine order. It's a bridge to antiquity, inviting us to marvel at the ingenuity that built enduring monuments.
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...