Who painted Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, Tomb of Ipuy?

Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, Tomb of Ipuy was painted by Norman de Garis Davies.

Where can I see Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, Tomb of Ipuy?

Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, Tomb of Ipuy is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Artwork

Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, Tomb of Ipuy

Kitten on Ipuy's Lap, 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

The work titled *Kitten on Ipuy’s Lap, Tomb of Ipuy* is a painted scene that captures a small black kitten with white paws and nose perched on a person’s lap. The figure’s lap is rendered in a bright yellow hue, set against a solid red backdrop. Around the animal, tiny black silhouettes—interpreted as birds or bats—add a peripheral motif.

Subject & Meaning

The central focus of the composition is the kitten, whose alert posture and forward‑facing gaze suggest curiosity or affection. The juxtaposition of the animal with a human presence may allude to domestic intimacy or symbolic protection, a theme occasionally encountered in funerary art where pets accompany the deceased.

Technique & Style

The painter renders the kitten with meticulous attention, depicting individual hairs and subtle tonal shifts that give the fur a tactile quality. In contrast, the human lap is treated more broadly, using flat washes of yellow. The overall palette is limited to stark reds, yellows, and blacks, emphasizing the figure against a simplified background.

History & Provenance

The piece is attributed to Norman de Garis Davies, an artist and Egyptologist noted for documenting and reproducing tomb decorations in the early twentieth century. While the original tomb context is not detailed here, the painting reflects Davies’s practice of creating illustrative copies of ancient wall scenes for scholarly study.