Wall Paintings in the Tomb of Queen Nefertari

The tomb of Queen Nefertari, Valley of the Queens, West Thebes, is one of the best preserved and most ornately decorated of all known tombs. The image shows a wall and ceiling within the burial chamber. The ceiling is painted with stars to represent the night sky.

The paintings (from left to right) show a lion, heron, falcon, the mummy of Nefertari, falcon and a male figure. Beneath them are hieroglyphics from an ancient funerary text known as the Book of the Dead. Nefertari lived around 1300-1255 BC and was the first of the Great Royal Wives of Ramesses II. It was discovered by Ernesto Schiaparelli (the director of the Egyptian Museum in Turin) in 1904. It is called the Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt.

New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II, ca. 1279-1213 BC. Tomb of Nefertari (QV66), Valley of the Queens, West Thebes.