Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · relief_fragment

Ceiling Decoration

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Twentieth Century; original Early New Kingdom, original Dynasty 18, reign of Ahmose, A.D. 1924; original ca. 1550–1525 B.C. Tempera on paper. H. 66 cm (26 in.); w. 74 cm (29 1/8 in.) scale 1:1 framed: h. 68.6 cm (27 in.); w. 77.5 cm (30 1/2 in.). Original: Tomb of Tetiky (TT 15), ceiling, Dra Abu el-Naga. Credit: Rogers Fund, 1930.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

Painted ceiling-style decorative composition with repeating geometric/square motifs and a central faux-panel band resembling wood or planking, framed by patterned borders.

The image shows a wall/ceiling decoration rendered in tempera-like colors: a top register of small rectangular tiles alternating in pale blue, cream, and orange backgrounds. Several tiles contain red-and-blue cross/X-like rosette or fan motifs formed by two opposing curved or petal shapes, creating symmetrical “X” designs. Below, a broad horizontal central panel is painted in warm tan/orange tones with darker lines that suggest wood grain or layered boards; this panel is crossed by a few vertical strokes and a central join. Further borders appear around the central panel, including a thin line of small red diamond shapes and a patterned band of white/green lattice or diagonal cross motifs. Some areas at the right edge show losses or age-related cracking with exposed lighter ground; the overall surface appears aged but preserved enough to read the repeating pattern. No legible hieroglyphs or cartouches are visible, and no figures or deities are depicted; the ornament is purely geometric/architectural.

decorative Twentieth Century (catalogue notes tempera on paper; depicted as a modern painted reconstruction rather than a directly dated Early New Kingdom ceiling) good
Materials painted decoration (tempera-like pigments)

Connections

Found at Dra Abu el-Naga
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.