Nebamun hunting in the marshes, fragment of a scene from the
tomb-chapel of Nebamun
Thebes, Egypt
Late 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC
Fowling in the marshes
Nebamun is shown hunting birds, in a small
boat with his wife Hatshepsut and their young daughter, in the
marshes of the Nile. Such scenes had already been traditional parts
of tomb-chapel decoration for hundreds of years and show the
dead tomb-owner ‘enjoying himself and seeing beauty’, as the
hieroglyphic caption here says.
This is more than a simple image of
recreation. Fertile marshes were seen as a place of rebirth and
eroticism. Hunting animals could represent Nebamun’s triumph over
the forces of nature as he was reborn. The huge striding figure of
Nebamun dominates, forever happy and forever young, surrounded by
the rich and varied life of the marsh.
There was originally another half of the
scene, which showed Nebamun spearing fish. This half of the wall is
lost, apart from two old photographs of small fragments of Nebamun
and his young son. The painters have captured the scaly and shiny
quality of the fish.
A tawny cat catches birds among the papyrus
stems. Cats were family pets, but he is shown here because a cat
could also represent the Sun-god hunting the enemies of light and
order. His unusual gilded eye hints at the religious meanings of
this scene.
The artists have filled every space with lively details. The
marsh is full of lotus flowers and Plain Tiger butterflies. They
are freely and delicately painted, suggesting the pattern and
texture of their wings.
M. Hooper, The Tomb of Nebamun (London, British Museum
Press, 2007)
R. Parkinson, The painted Tomb-chapel of
Nebamun. (London, British Museum Press, 2008)
A. Middleton and K.
Uprichard, (eds.), The Nebamun Wall Paintings:
Conservation, Scientific Analysis and Display at the British
Museum (London, Archetype, 2008)