Brickmakers Getting Water from a Pool, Tomb of Rekhmire

The tomb painting of Brickmakers Getting Water from a Pool, created by Nina M. Davies in 1479 within the Tomb of Rekhmire, has been widely reproduced as a facsimile in scholarly publications, most notably in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection documentation. Its depiction of labor and water access continues to inform studies of New Kingdom occupational life, cited in multiple Egyptological surveys for its vivid portrayal of daily activities. The work remains a key reference for understanding artistic techniques of the Theban dynasty, particularly in how figures are rendered within liminal spaces such as pools and tomb architecture.

The panel, titled Brickmakers Getting Water from a Pool, originates from the tomb of the 18th‑dynasty official Rekhmire. Executed in the traditional Egyptian tomb‑painting style, it portrays a small group of laborers engaged in a water‑fetching task. The work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and is dated to the year 1490 in the museum’s records.

The image was recorded and reproduced by Egyptologists Nina M. Davies and her husband Norman de Garis Davies, who documented many tomb decorations in the early 20th century. Their collaborative publications appeared under the joint name N. de Gar­is Davies, making individual attribution ambiguous. The panel entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in 1490, where it remains on view.

Brick‑making was a vital industry in New Kingdom Egypt, supplying material for both monumental architecture and domestic structures. Tomb paintings often depicted such quotidian tasks to illustrate the deceased’s role in sustaining the afterlife’s provisions. The inclusion of palm trees and a small boat in the background situates the scene within the Nile’s fertile landscape, reinforcing the connection between water, labor, and construction.