Artwork
Building a Catafalque, Tomb of Ipuy

Building a Catafalque, Tomb of Ipuy is an unspecified painting by Norman de Garis Davies. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Building a Catafalque, Tomb of Ipuy is a painted work whose title indicates a depiction of a funerary construction scene. The piece is catalogued as a painting and is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is listed among the museum’s holdings.
Subject & Meaning
The title suggests that the composition portrays laborers assembling a catafalque—a raised platform used for displaying a coffin—associated with the tomb of an individual named Ipuy. The focus on this ritual act points to themes of death, commemoration, and the communal effort involved in honoring the deceased.
Technique & Style
Specific details about the artist’s materials, brushwork, or visual style are not provided. As a painted work, it presumably employs conventional painting techniques of its period, with attention to narrative detail that would convey the ceremonial activity described in the title.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, indicating that it entered the museum’s collection through acquisition, donation, or bequest. The museum’s records list it under its title, but further provenance information is not supplied in the available data.
Context
The depiction of a catafalque construction situates the work within cultural practices surrounding death and burial. Such scenes are found in various artistic traditions that document ritual preparations, offering insight into the social customs linked to funerary rites.
Artist & collection
Artist
Norman de Garis Davies painted delicate scenes straight from ancient Egyptian tomb walls.














