Artwork
Stringing and Drilling Beads, Tomb of Rekhmire
Stringing and Drilling Beads, Tomb of Rekhmire is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Nina M. Davies. It dates from 1504 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This wall painting, titled "Stringing and Drilling Beads," originates from the Tomb of Rekhmire, an 18th Dynasty official.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The visual representation serves as a record of the labor and technical processes involved in producing adornments for the elite.
The artwork depicts a scene of jewelry making, specifically illustrating the crafts of stringing and drilling beads. As a facsimile of a wall painting from the Tomb of Rekhmire (TT 100), the image portrays a man engaged in work, capturing a specific moment of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship. The visual representation serves as a record of the labor and technical processes involved in producing adornments for the elite.
This depiction highlights the specialized skills required for beadwork, reflecting the importance of such trades within the administrative and economic life of the period.
History & Provenance
Stringing and Drilling Beads is a facsimile painting of a scene from the Tomb of Rekhmire (TT 100), an ancient Egyptian Theban tomb, depicting jewelry-making activities including the use of a bow drill. The facsimile was created by Nina M. Davies as a documentary reproduction of the original tomb decoration rather than as an ancient artifact itself.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 31.6.25. Its presence in the museum's holdings reflects Davies's broader practice of recording Egyptian tomb paintings, undertaken in collaboration with her husband, and the subsequent acquisition of their facsimiles by major institutions. No exhibition history beyond its presence in the collection is documented in the available sources.
Overview
This wall painting, titled "Stringing and Drilling Beads," originates from the Tomb of Rekhmire, an 18th Dynasty official. It captures a moment of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship, illustrating two individuals engaged in the intricate process of bead production. The scene was meticulously documented by the Egyptologists Nina M. and Norman de Garis Davies, whose early to mid-twentieth-century work preserved many such tomb decorations for scholarly examination and public understanding.
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…
Menna and Family Hunting in the Marshes, Tomb of Menna
Amenhotep III and his Mother, Mutemwia, in a Kiosk
Queen Nefertari Playing Senet
Preparing Dough, Tomb of Rekhmire
Nakhtamun's Funeral Procession, Tomb of Nakhtamun
Ramesses III and Prince Amenherkhepeshef before Hathor
Sifting Meal, Tomb of Rekhmire
Funeral Procession, Tomb of Pairy
- Trimming Wood with an Adze, Tomb of Rekhmire
Sandal Maker, Tomb of Rekhmire
Metal Working, Tomb of Rekhmire
Casting Metal, Tomb of Rekhmire
Sandal Maker, Tomb of Rekhmire
Carpenter Making a Chair, Tomb of Rekhmire
Preparing and Cooking Cakes, Tomb of Rekhmire
Drilling a Stone Vase, Tomb of Rekhmire
Gathering Honey, Tomb of Rekhmire
Pounding Meal, Tomb of Rekhmire