Casting Metal, Tomb of Rekhmire 1479 BC

Curator: Here we have “Casting Metal” from the Tomb of Rekhmire, a wall painting created around 1479 BC, during the reign of Thutmose III. The artist was Nina de Garis Davies, whose watercolor copies are held at the Metropolitan Museum. Editor: The immediacy is arresting. Despite its age, the scene feels incredibly vivid, as if I'm glimpsing a bustling workshop frozen in time. There's an incredible dynamism in the figures; you can almost hear the clanging of metal and feel the heat. Curator: Absolutely! Nina’s ability to capture the flow of labor is so keen. I see in this tableau more than just craftsmanship; it evokes the transformative energy of raw material being forged into something entirely new, reflecting themes of creation and change. The fresco technique also suggests how deeply embedded craft was into life then. Editor: Speaking of which, look at how clearly delineated the tasks are. Each figure has a purpose, meticulously rendering the whole metal casting process from fanning the flames, filling molds with what appears to be molten metal, to the finished product being stacked. The social aspect is clearly foregrounded here – collaborative labor. What a dance of bodies working in tandem! It's also telling that they use repetition, layering images in sequence of workers like in a cartoon strip. Curator: Yes, that stylized form follows a canon established since the Old Kingdom, but it delivers a remarkable depiction of energy and collective human endeavor. You know, there is a story that, whilst documenting another tomb, she abseiled down a cliff on ropes for months. She’d be covered in dust every evening when she finally surfaced. Can you imagine? What dedication and grit! Editor: Absolutely! She embodies a dedication to not just documenting art but living amidst it, embodying that same commitment we see in this work's very creation! And these choices emphasize labor, material, process! They really show us the social dimensions that are vital. It's a narrative about how we interact with the world to create our lived environment. Curator: Well, seeing this portrayal ignites a longing to see these hands at work, transforming material. Perhaps metal is magic? Editor: Absolutely. Seeing a work like this I'm humbled by the skill that transformed pigment and plaster into a still life that keeps resonating across time. A wonderful example of ancient ingenuity captured by a dedicated artist!