Artwork
Anubis Weighing the Heart, Tomb of Nakhtamun
Anubis Weighing the Heart, Tomb of Nakhtamun is an unspecified painting by Nina M. Davies. It dates from 1290 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The stylistic approach reflects New Kingdom funerary conventions, with symbolic emphasis on ritual accuracy rather than individualized expression.
The work is a facsimile painting executed in tempera and watercolor on paper by Nina de Garis Davies, reproducing a wall painting from the burial chamber of Nakhtamun (TT 341). The original tomb decoration was applied in tempera on plaster directly onto the tomb wall. Formal qualities display a stylized profile of Anubis rendered with precise outlines, balanced composition centered on the weighing scale, and a restrained palette that emphasizes clarity over naturalism.
The stylistic approach reflects New Kingdom funerary conventions, with symbolic emphasis on ritual accuracy rather than individualized expression.
History & Provenance
The painted facsimile titled Anubis Weighing the Heart reproduces a scene in the tomb of Nakhtamun (TT 341), dated to around 1290 BCE and associated with the Nineteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom. The facsimile was created by Nina de Garis Davies and reproduces the jackal-headed god Anubis overseeing the weighing of the heart against the feather of Maat. The facsimile entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is currently held under accession number 33.8.21.
Overview
The painted panel from the tomb of Nakhtamun, dating to around 1290 BCE, depicts the Egyptian deity Anubis engaged in the weighing of a heart. The scene forms part of the tomb’s decorative program and is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
In the composition, Anubis, shown kneeling with a balance, measures a human heart against a feather of Ma’at, the emblem of truth and justice. This ritual represents the ancient Egyptian judgment of the deceased, determining whether the soul may proceed to the afterlife.
Context
The weighing of the heart is a central motif in Egyptian funerary art, appearing in many tombs to illustrate the moral evaluation that awaited the dead. Its inclusion in Nakhtamun’s tomb underscores the owner’s concern with ethical conduct and the hope for a favorable judgment.
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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