Artwork
Women at a Banquet
Women at a Banquet is an unspecified painting by Nina M. Davies. It dates from 1931 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created circa 1931 by Egyptologist and illustrator Nina M.
About this work
Overview
Davies, *Women at a Banquet* records a domestic scene rendered in the flat, decorative manner typical of early twentieth‑century Egyptian tomb paintings.
Created circa 1931 by Egyptologist and illustrator Nina M. Davies, *Women at a Banquet* records a domestic scene rendered in the flat, decorative manner typical of early twentieth‑century Egyptian tomb paintings. The work presents four women arranged around a simple interior, their gestures and attire echoing the visual language of ancient funerary art that the artist and her husband, Norman de Garis Davies, meticulously copied.
Subject & Meaning
The composition portrays four female figures in yellow garments, each accented with a blue headband and gold ornaments, suggesting a ceremonial gathering. One figure holds a fan, another extends a hand, while a third leans against a chair, conveying a ritualized hospitality. The calm expressions and stylized eyes reflect the formal conventions of Egyptian portraiture, emphasizing status and ritual over individual personality.
Technique & Style
Davies employs a limited palette of bold yellows, blues, reds, and gold, applied in flat, unmodulated areas that recall the frescoes of New Kingdom tombs. The background mimics aged papyrus, with faint, ambiguous shapes that may indicate furniture or additional participants. The figures are rendered with stiff, posed postures and linear facial features, reinforcing the work’s documentary intent rather than expressive realism.
History & Provenance
Nina M. Davies produced the painting while collaborating with her husband on extensive field recordings of Egyptian temple and tomb decoration during the early to mid‑1900s. The piece reflects their joint effort to preserve visual details of ancient sites for scholarly study. Its exact ownership trail after creation remains limited to private collections, with occasional exhibition in institutions focusing on Egyptological art documentation.
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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