Tomb Art for a Beloved Queen

The tomb of Nefertari, the Great Royal Wife of Ramses II, stands in the Valley of the Queens. Built some 3,250 years ago, it has been dubbed the “Egyptian Sistine Chapel.” The tomb is remarkable for its magnificent illustrative decoration and contains thousands of square feet of paintings that depict the magical rituals necessary to reach the afterlife. Ramses seems to have been particularly close to Nefertari, whom the painters have rendered with careful detail, often using naturalistic techniques such as shading. 

Discovered in 1904, the tomb deteriorated rapidly and had to be restored in the 1980s. Visitor access has been restricted to protect it from damage, but people can still enjoy the tomb without traveling to Egypt. Detailed 3-D scans of Nefertari’s tomb have digitally preserved its magnificence and have been used to create a virtual reality tour that can be downloaded and viewed at home.

Illustration: 4D News