Two Princesses

Nina M. Davies created this tempera facsimile of an ancient Egyptian wall painting depicting two princesses, reproducing a scene from a Theban tomb dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1353 BCE), likely from the reign of Akhenaten or shortly after. The representation of royal women in Egyptian art followed strict conventions while occasionally revealing individual characteristics, particularly during the artistically innovative Amarna period. Davies's meticulous copies preserve details of hairstyle, jewelry, and costume crucial for understanding New Kingdom court culture.

Rendered in tempera on paper, this facsimile reproduces the elegant linear style of New Kingdom Egyptian figure painting with its characteristic combination of profile and frontal views. Davies carefully matched the original's refined draftsmanship and the subtle skin tones achieved with ochre pigments over a white gesso ground.