Astronomical Ceiling ca. 1479–1458 B.C.

Charles K. Wilkinson

The ancient Egyptians were dedicated astronomers, as illustrated by this schematic guide to the night sky that decorated a ceiling in the tomb of Senenmut (TT 353) at Deir el-Bahri. The figures represent constellations or protective deities, and the columns of text in the upper part list planets and stars known as the decans. The twelve circles in the lower part, each divided into twenty-four segments for the hours of the day and night, are labelled with the names of the months of the year.

Senenmut (48.149.7) was a high official in the court of Hatshepsut (29.3.2), Egypt's most successful female pharaoh.

Not on view

Astronomical Ceiling, Charles K. Wilkinson, Tempera on paper

Title: Astronomical Ceiling

Artist: Charles K. Wilkinson

Period: Original: New Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 18

Reign: Joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III

Date: ca. 1479–1458 B.C.

Geography: Original from Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, TT 353 (Tomb of Senenmut), hall

Medium: Tempera on paper

Dimensions: Facsimile: H. 73 × W. 56.5 cm (28 3/4 × 22 1/4 in.); scale approximately 1:5; Framed: H. 74.6 × W. 58.1 cm (29 3/8 × 22 7/8 in.)

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1948

Accession Number: 48.105.52

Painted at Qurna by Charles K. Wilkinson for the Graphic Section of the Museum's Egyptian expedition in 1930. Accessioned by the Museum, 1948.

Wilkinson, Charles K. 1979. Egyptian Wall Paintings: The Metropolitan Museum's Collection of Facsimiles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, new ser., vol. 36, no. 4 (Spring), New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, pp. 24–25, fig. 27.

Wilkinson, Charles K. and Marsha Hill 1983. Egyptian Wall Paintings: The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Collection of Facsimiles. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Timelines
Egypt, 2000-1000 B.C.

Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh
Egyptian Wall Paintings: The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Collection of Facsimiles
[adapted from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 36, no. 4 (Spring, 1979)]

Department

Egyptian Art (27,772)

Artist / Maker / Culture

Charles K. Wilkinson (97)

Object Type / Material

Geographic Location