Queen Nefertari Playing Senet, Tomb of Nefertari

Nina de Garis Davies  (1881–1965)

Period:
New Kingdom, Ramesside
Dynasty:
Dynasty 19
Reign:
reign of Ramesses II
Date:
ca. 1279–1213 B.C.
Geography:
Country of Origin Egypt
Medium:
Facsimile by Nina de Garis Davies Tempera on paper
Dimensions:
H. 43 cm (16 15/16 in); w. 46 cm (18 1/8 in) scale 1:2
Credit Line:
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number:
30.4.145
  • Description

    During her life, Nefertari was the principal queen of Ramesses II, and judging from the monuments created for her, Nefertari was also the king's favorite wife. At Abu Simble, the the king constructed a small rock-cut temple for her next to his own, and when Nefertari died, he commissioned a beautifully painted tomb for her in what is now called the Valley of the Queens.
    This facsimile copies of one of the paintings from Nefertari's tomb. In this vignette, the queen is in front of a table and is playing a game of senet in which her invisible opponant is fate. She wears an elaborately pleated and fringed gown of sheer linen. She also wears a gold bracelet, a broad collar, and what are probably silver earrings. On her head is the vulture headdress of a queen. The facsimile was painted at the tomb in 1921-1922 by Nina deGaris Davies who was a member of the Graphic Section of the Museum's Egyptian Expedition.

  • Provenance

    Painted at Qurna by Nina de Garis Davies for the Egyptian Expedition of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1921-1922. Accessioned by the Museum, 1930.

  • See also
    Who
    What
    Where
    When
    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
    MetPublications
100005246

Close