(artist(s) unknown, dynasty 19) (c.1279 to 1213 bc). Nefertari Making an Offering to Isis [wall painting]. Valley of the Queens, near Deir el-Bahri.

Communication is the only priority in this specific example. An ancient snap-shot is supported by narrative text with design consistently compromised in favor of the message and image-defining framework. The scene is a thematic description or documentation of Queen Nefertari’s sacrifice and devotion to Isis, goddess of the underworld, located in her funerary complex. Considering the age of this work, its vivid color and overall condition are remarkable.

A simple and elegant value-based split-complementary color scheme is created with oranges and yellows set against dense blues. Generally, warmth expresses subjects, while coolness provides context. Texturing, like ancient Aegean mural painting, is created through abstraction and conforms to the picture plane, not the forms they format. Considering the context of the mural adorning the queen’s burial chamber, by rendering her in an act of sacrificial humility, this work arguably describes her eternal devotion to the deity.

Planar depth is created through flattened shape, intuitive use of color temperature, gestalt and consistent detail in both shape and texture. Gesturing is directed toward the goddess. She is seated on a simple throne and colorfully dressed, while the standing figure’s clothing is colorless, although her head gear is elaborate and her posture references her royal status. Contour line is used to define shapes, and an ancient form of paragraph rules are used to organize “text”.

When compared to similar Egyptian mural-paintings, the style, medium and formatting used in Nefertari Sacrificing and Offering to Isis are for the most part consistent with earlier works. Two subtle breaks from tradition are the darker shade used to render the figure’s skin, and more embellishment in the development of their surfaces to provide a hint of modelling, though the overall effect is still planar in the traditional Egyptian sense.