Queen Nefertari Playing Senet

This is a modern facsimile copy by Nina M. Davies of an ancient Egyptian tomb painting from the reign of Ramesses II, depicting Queen Nefertari playing the board game senet. Davies was a pioneering archaeological illustrator who spent decades in Egypt meticulously recording tomb paintings for the Metropolitan Museum's Graphic Section. Her tempera copies preserve the vivid colors and compositional details of fragile originals that continue to deteriorate, making them invaluable records of New Kingdom artistic achievement.

Executed in tempera on paper or board, Davies faithfully reproduced the flat, profile-view figural conventions of ancient Egyptian painting. The careful brushwork captures the original's precise outlines, hieroglyphic inscriptions, and layered mineral pigment colors characteristic of Theban tomb decoration.