Chapter II The Paintings and Inscriptions of the Painted Vaulted Chamber of Teta-Ky — By George Legrain
The following description of the paintings of the tomb of Teta-ky is taken from notes I made in 1909 when I visited Lord Carnarvon’s excavations. The notes I made at that time were not then intended for publication. This fact will explain their briefness. The tomb of Teta-ky having unfortunately been mostly destroyed by natives since that date, the copy of the texts and pictures that I took on the occasion of my visit in 1909, together with Mr. Howard Carter’s photographs, are the only remaining records of this tomb.
The funerary chamber is rectangular. The shorter walls lie east and west, whilst the longer sides face north and south. The roof is vaulted, barrel in form, and fairly regular. The ceiling is painted with a many-coloured chequer pattern; this decoration can be well seen in Plate IV. 1 and 2.
The decorations of the north and south walls consist of a long row of Kheker-ornaments. Beneath this row there is a line of detailed hieroglyphs, and beneath these again are scenes which run from left to right. These pictures were painted on stucco mixed without straw. This stucco has fallen away in several places, which has naturally caused the disappearance of many portions of the scenes represented in the tomb. Added to these accidents the tomb was re-used in ancient times, and part of the scenes were covered with an opaque lime-wash. Besides all these mutilations, breaches, and holes have very much spoilt this curious monument.
The general scheme of decoration can be described as follows:—
| Northern Wall. | Scenes of the private life of Teta-ky. |
| Eastern Wall. | Queen Nefert-ari presenting offerings to the funerary Hathor Cow, ‘Lady of Dendera’. |
| Southern Wall. | Funerary procession. Funeral and arrival of Teta-ky in the Kingdom of Osiris. |
| Western Wall. | Teta-ky in adoration before Osiris Khent-amenti. Beneath, funerary banquet and stela of Teta-ky. |
This order is adopted in the following description.
Scene A (Pl. V). The dead man Image not available: hieroglyph, ‘The Royal Son Teta-ky’, is seated beneath a kiosk, of which three columns are visible. The polychrome capitals of these columns are in the shape of lotus buds. Around his neck Teta-ky wears a large necklace, and he has armlets on his arms and bracelets on his wrists. His wife Image not available: hieroglyph ‘The Lady Senba’, is seated at his side with left arm around him. Teta-ky is receiving grapes from a girl standing before him.
Behind the girl is a woman standing near the right-hand column.
Scene B (Pl. V). Two women stand before three seated men. By the side of the smaller woman there is a harp. The text relating to this woman reads:— Image not available: hieroglyph. The taller woman places her hands towards the face of the first seated man. He holds her by the left wrist. Above this woman is the name Image not available: hieroglyph
Scene C. A woman opening a small box shows its contents to two squatting men.
Nine women follow. Their names read:—
Scene D. Much of this scene is covered with whitewash. A woman brings a cup in one hand, whilst in the other she holds a red clay vase. A squatting woman beneath a tree is in front of her. To the right a man paddles.
Harnessed and loaded donkeys are seen here (Pl. V). To the right men unload the donkeys. Further on a man squats before a heap of grain Image not available: hieroglyph. Originally there existed three horizontal lines of hieroglyphs, of which only the following signs remain:—
East Wall. The decorations of this wall are arranged in the following manner:—
The Solar Disk spreads its wings above the two scenes, A and B.
Scene A (Pl. VI). To the left is depicted the Cow Hathor, white with brown markings, the Solar Disk between her horns. She is Image not available: hieroglyph Before the Cow Goddess, Queen Nefert-ari Image not available: hieroglyph holds a flaming censer. Nefert-ari is followed by Image not available: hieroglyph
In the left lower corner of this scene, below the Hathor Cow, two men and a woman are carrying offerings.
Scene B. This scene on the right side is practically destroyed, only the picture of the Hathor Cow is remaining.
South Wall. Scenes, sections A and B divided by the entrance door, are headed by the following inscription:—
Image not available: hieroglyph Image not available: hieroglyph
Scene A (Pl. VII). The mummy is seen under a canopied sledge. Two men opposite each other embrace the mummy. A woman fondles the feet, another the head. On the side of the canopy a long coiled snake forms the frieze. A man with arms hanging by his sides follows behind the sledge. He wears a wig, necklace, and a long tunic, and is following the funeral procession. The sledge itself is pulled by three men and two beasts. Between these men and animals and the sledge a man is shown pouring water upon the ground to facilitate the traction of the sledge. Above this man we read Image not available: hieroglyph and above each of the men:— Image not available: hieroglyph followed by a name obliterated.
The driver places his left hand on the hind-quarters of the cattle and with his right hand lifts a stick as if to strike.
Three men, wearing curious high and open-work head-dresses, come forward to meet the funeral procession and dance before it (Pl. VIII). Above these dancers the following hieroglyphs can be read:— Image not available: hieroglyph
Scene B (Pl. VIII). Beneath the funerary canopy the mummy is placed upright. The priest throws a few grains of incense into a censer which he presents to the mummy. The mummy is perhaps of the Rîshi or feather type; that is to say, of the kind of decoration used for the mummy cases of the Antefs, and of the people of Thebes who died before the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty. A number of coffins of the same and more elaborate type have since been found by Lord Carnarvon in the necropolis of the XIIth to XVIIIth Dynasties in the immediate neighbourhood of Teta-ky’s tomb.
Scene C (Pl. IX). To the right of this scene, in a Naos, stands the Osiris Khent-amenti clad in white, wearing the Upper Egyptian crown, and holding the crook and flail. In front of him, from left to right, are, firstly, the plan of an habitation in which two of the MW-dancers are walking. Secondly, two obelisks in red granite. Thirdly, two trees covered with fruit. Fourthly, two rows of four shrines containing gods, goddesses, and funerary genii.
Scene D (Pl. IX). This scene, almost entirely destroyed, depicted the transport of the Tekenu to the necropolis. This person is wrapt in red cloth and is squatting on a sledge. At this spot much of the wall is broken away. We read the following legend in front of the Tekenu:— Image not available: hieroglyph while above him is Image not available: hieroglyph
The ceremonial continues to the right. Above the break in the wall is the sign Image not available: hieroglyph then Image not available: hieroglyph and right at the end is figured a coffer or box ornamented with a lion’s head, which is carried on the shoulders of the officiating priests. Before these personages is an inscription which reads:— Image not available: hieroglyph
West Wall (Pl. VI). The decorations on this wall are arranged in the following manner:—
B. right side. The A. in centre. Vertical line of text—hieroglyph presents numerous offerings piled upon an altar to Osiris Khent-amenti, who is seated upon a high pedestal and is clad in white and wears the Upper Egyptian crown. Behind Teta-ky the A. in centre. Vertical line of text—hieroglyph cuts off the fore-leg of a white bull.
C. left side. The A. in centre. Vertical line of text—hieroglyph stands before another similar Osiris Khent-amenti. He burns incense, pours water from a vase, and makes other oblations. Behind him a servant cuts off the fore-leg of a dark-coloured bull.
D. Central false door. Almost entirely destroyed. Decorated with multicoloured palm-leaf frieze; this was the funerary stela of Teta-ky.
E. Left side. On the left a man is seated. The text in this instance is so mutilated that his name Image not available: hieroglyph can alone be read. Behind him the lady Image not available: hieroglyph places her arms around his neck. In front of these two people, to the right, a man makes offerings and libations.
Text: Image not available: hieroglyph
F. right side. A similar group to E, with the following texts above the two seated persons:—
The inscription above the man making offerings has been covered by whitewash, and it is only possible to read the following signs:—