Nebamun hunting in the marshes with his wife and daughter

“Nebamun hunting in the marshes with his wife and daughter” [18^th dynasty Egyptian], around 1350 BC. Painted plaster.

This is an ancient Egypt wall painting painted by a 18th dynasty Egyptian around the year of 1350 BC. The medium used by the artist is painted plaster, which is a technique of mixing lime with sand or cement and water for spreading on walls, ceilings or other structures to form a smooth hard surface when dried. This artwork is painted on the wall of the tomb chapel of Nebamun. The painting is 98cm wide, 83cm high and 22cm thick. 

The most dominant subject in this artwork is the man who standing in the middle, Nebamun. He is painted in largest size if compared to other elements in the artwork. His wife, Hatshepsut is standing behind him while his daughter is sitting in the middle of his legs. The boat is made up of papyrus. There are a lot of animals in the painting. In the river, there are different species of fish. There are Tilapia fish at the bottom left corner of the artwork. Puffer fish is located below Nebamun's right leg. In front of Nebamun there is a feral cat jumping to capture birds. Besides, a duck is standing on the prow of the boat. Other birds such as crane, quadrupeds are flying. Some species are unknown. You can see some Plain Tiger Butterflies flying around the left part of the painting.

This artwork is painted in 2D and 3D value and it has a simulated texture. Human figures are adapted 2D value whereas other animals are 3D value. The painting is asymmetrical balance whereby there are more subjects occupied the left side of the painting. Moreover, progressive rhythm is created through the movement from left to right of Nebamun. Elements that are similar in size and colour such as birds and papyrus had created regular rhythm. The lines and shapes of the papyrus and birds overlapping each other create motion. The motion of the birds give people a energetic feel showing that is a busy environment. 

The artwork is imitative. Nebamun is a Nobleman, his name has the meaning of "My Lord is Amun." He works as a scribe and grain accountant in the Temple of Amun at Karnak during the reign of Amenhotep III. The scenes describes Nebamun triumph over nature in his afterlife. Nebamun's daughter has a sidelock hairstyle which is a sign of youth. Furthermore, The hieroglyphs on the wall has the meaning of ‘enjoying himself and seeing beauty’. Cats in ancient Egypt are representing the Sun God hunting the enemies of light and order. 

In my opinion, Egyptologists will appreciate the artwork as they can do research on it and learn the method of painted plaster. Other than that, Egyptian would also appreciate it because they can learn the culture behind the story of Nebamun.