Facsimile: Scene of Fish Preparation and Net Making 1479 BC

Norman de Garis Davies created this facsimile of an Egyptian tomb painting, depicting a scene of fish preparation and net making, using watercolor on paper. Davies' work, meticulously copying ancient artwork, allows us to consider the role of images in ancient Egyptian society. The subjects here are everyday activities, yet their placement in a tomb elevates them to a more profound status. The painting shows us a glimpse into the economic and social life of ancient Egypt, where fishing was crucial to its food supply. It also implies a developed social hierarchy, because only the elite could afford decorated tombs. This image’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art raises questions about the modern institutions of art. What does it mean to display a copy, rather than the original? What is lost, and what is gained, in this act of reproduction and display? By examining the choices made in the tomb's design, along with archaeological records, historians reconstruct the social and cultural values of the ancient world.