Who painted Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep?

Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep was painted by Nina M. Davies in 1897-01-01.

Where can I see Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep?

Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep is held by Metropolitan Museum of Art.

What movement is Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep?

Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep is associated with Naïve art.

Artwork

Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep

Nina M. Davies , 1899

Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep is an unspecified painting by the Naïve art artist Nina M. Davies. It dates from 1899 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nina M.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

As a facsimile of a scene from the Tomb of Khnumhotep at Beni Hasan, the work illustrates the subject matter originally painted on the tomb walls.

The artwork depicts a scene of fowling, specifically showing a man engaged in netting birds. This visual narrative captures the act of hunting birds, a common activity in ancient Egyptian daily life and tomb iconography. The composition includes representations of birds, the human figure, and hieroglyphs, which likely serve to label the action or provide context within the funerary setting.

As a facsimile of a scene from the Tomb of Khnumhotep at Beni Hasan, the work illustrates the subject matter originally painted on the tomb walls. The inclusion of hieroglyphs alongside the figures and animals suggests the image functions not merely as a record of an activity but as an integrated element of the tomb's decorative and symbolic program, intended to ensure the provision of food or to represent the deceased's control over nature in the afterlife.

Technique & Style

The work titled Netting Birds, from the Tomb of Khnumhotep, is classified as a painting and was created in 1899 by Nina M. Davies. It is a painted facsimile of a wall scene originally located in the Beni Hasan necropolis, reproduced for the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession 33.8.18). The image portrays a fowling motif that includes a bird, a hieroglyph, and a standing man, arranged in a linear narrative typical of Egyptian tomb art.

As a museum-held facsimile, the piece is conserved within the MET's collection, maintaining the original's formal composition and symbolic content.

History & Provenance

The facsimile painting Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep by Nina M. Davies is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is catalogued under the accession number 33.8.18, as recorded in the museum's records. The work was produced in 1899 as a painted facsimile of a scene from the tomb of Khnumhotep at Beni Hasan. No further exhibition history is documented in the available sources.

Overview

Nina M. Davies's painting, "Netting Birds, Tomb of Khnumhotep," serves as a detailed record of an ancient Egyptian wall painting. Created during her extensive work documenting archaeological sites, this piece captures a vibrant scene from a tomb, featuring human figures, various birds, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The artwork is now part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving a visual record of a historical artifact.

Fishing and Fowling, Tomb of Ipuy, Nina M. Davies

Artist & collection

Artist

Nina M. Davies

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…