Perspectives on Agency in New Kingdom Theban Tombs

Abstract

Far from being merely repetitive, the painted decoration in Theban tombs of the New Kingdom reveals a rich variety of individual artistic choices, and therefore offers a privileged point of view for the study of agency in ancient Egypt. By examining selected pictorial units from a number of tombs, personally investigated by the author, this paper will explore the painters’ approaches to tomb decoration through the lens of the agency theory developed by Alfred Gell. Personal intervention can be recognised in many little details which ensure that no two Theban chapels are identical, even where the same scenes are represented. These variations undoubtedly sprang from the individual choices of the artists. Preparatory ostraca show the basic layout of text and scenes, with the division into registers and columns, but these remain only preparatory sketches. All the final details in the lines, colours, and components that make up a figure or a sign offer room for modifications. By analysing how artists interacted with the single pictorial units they were tasked with painting, their patterns of action and horizons of freedom become clearer, offering us a deeper insight into the role of Theban painters in the history of the site.