Queen Nefertari being led by Isis

Charles K. Wilkinson

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Nefertari was the main wife of pharaoh Ramesses II and her tomb with its vivid wall paintings is one of the most beautiful tombs in Egypt. This watercolor copy depicts the queen (left) being led by the goddess Isis (right). Noteworthy is that Nefertari’s husband, Ramesses II, is absent in these scenes, indicating the queen's high status that allowed her to directly interact with the deities without him; such depictions would not be possible for non-royal individuals.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art