Ostracon with sketch of a crocodile

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The courtyard rubbish outside Nespekashuty's tomb reflects long periods of use, a situation which complicates the dating and understanding of the painted ostraka found there. A recent stylistic study has allowed some of them to be grouped chronologically, however. The horse (23.3.33) and leaping lion (23.3.28) are done with red preliminary sketches, finalized with a thin, supple black line; this technique resembles that of the Ramesside artists from Deir el Bahri. The incised crocodile (23.3.30) relates best to ostraka known from the Ptolemaic Period. A third group, including a calf (23.3.27), blind harpist (23.3.31), and floral capitals (23.3.34, 23.3.35) appears to be contemporary with the tomb of Nespekashuty. On these, the preliminary drawing was executed in a pale red ink that was overlaid with a final line in darker red; wide contour lines were created by short overlapping strokes. The technique resembles that noted in preliminary drawings on the walls of the first chamber of Nespekashuty's tomb. These ostraka then may be discarded preliminary sketches for the tomb decoration.

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