Men from Punt Carrying Gifts, Tomb of Rekhmire

Executed in the conventional Egyptian wall‑painting technique, the figures are rendered with flat, stylised faces and limited shading. The green leaves are detailed with yellow veins, while the wooden boat is outlined in simple linear strokes. The use of a restrained colour palette—white kilts, red stripes, dark skin tones—reflects the formal aesthetic of New Kingdom funerary art.

British Egyptologist and illustrator Nina M. Davies recorded the scene in 1490, creating a detailed drawing that contributed to early‑20th‑century scholarship on Egyptian tomb decoration. Working with her husband Norman de Garis Davies, she helped preserve visual documentation of the painting before modern conservation methods were applied.

Rekhmire served as vizier under Pharaohs Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, a period marked by extensive military campaigns and trade expeditions to Punt. The inclusion of tribute bearers in his tomb aligns with contemporary practices of depicting the beneficence of the state and the official’s role in overseeing foreign exchange.