Userhat Adoring Deities of the West, Tomb of Userhat

Art Historical Context

This facsimile captures a vibrant scene from the tomb of Userhat, an ancient Egyptian official who lived during Dynasty 19 of the New Kingdom (ca. 1294–1279 B.C.). The original wall painting shows Userhat adoring deities associated with the West—the direction linked to the setting sun and the realm of the dead—complete with hieroglyphs, falcons, and figures of men and women. Such tomb decorations served both as offerings to the gods and as magical provisions to ensure a successful journey into the afterlife. Norman de Garis Davies created this exact-scale copy in tempera on paper during the twentieth century, preserving intricate details that might otherwise fade or become inaccessible in the original Theban tomb. As a leading copyist for the Metropolitan Museum, Davies helped bring Egyptian art to wider audiences through meticulous reproductions that retain the colors, compositions, and symbolic richness of Ramesside painting. Acquired by the museum in 1930, the work highlights the enduring cultural importance of these scenes in conveying ancient beliefs about death, divinity, and eternal life. It allows modern viewers to appreciate the artistic skill and spiritual depth of New Kingdom tomb art in a format designed for study and display.

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...