Artwork
Fragment of an Inscribed Architrave, Tomb of Amenemhat Surer
Fragment of an Inscribed Architrave, Tomb of Amenemhat Surer is an unspecified painting by Nina M. Davies. It dates from 1396 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is a hand‑drawn record of a painted fragment from an ancient Egyptian tomb.
About this work
Overview
The work is a hand‑drawn record of a painted fragment from an ancient Egyptian tomb. The illustration captures a portion of an architrave that once bore a large, red‑eyed motif and a stylized staff with a curved top and striped decoration. Though the original stone surface is heavily broken and cracked, the drawing preserves the vivid color scheme of yellow background with blue and white accents.
Subject & Meaning
The central eye motif, rendered in red with a black outline, is a common protective symbol in Egyptian funerary art, often linked to the god Horus and the concept of divine watchfulness. The accompanying staff, topped with a curved element, likely represents a scepter or ceremonial implement, reinforcing the tomb owner’s status and his hoped‑for protection in the afterlife.
Technique & Style
Nina M. Davies employed precise line work and careful shading to convey the original painted surfaces. Her rendering distinguishes the bright pigments—red, black, yellow, blue, and white—through varied hatching and tonal contrast, allowing the viewer to discern the original decorative scheme despite the fragment’s physical deterioration.
History & Provenance
The fragment originates from the tomb of Amenemhat Surer, dated to the year 1396 BCE, during the late 18th Dynasty. The drawing was produced by British Egyptologist Nina M. Davies, who worked in Egypt alongside her husband Norman de Garis Davies in the early to mid‑20th century. The illustration is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Egyptologists Nina M. Davies (6 January 1881 – 21 April 1965) and Norman de Garis Davies (1865–5 November 1941) were a married couple of illustrators and copyists who worked in the early and mid-twentieth century…
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