Tomb of Nefertari Paintings

The Tomb of Nefertari (QV66) in the Valley of the Queens contains what many consider the finest wall paintings in all of ancient Egypt. Painted around 1250 BC for the favorite wife of Ramesses II, the walls glow with vivid blues, golds, reds, and whites depicting Nefertari's journey through the afterlife.

The paintings show Nefertari guided by gods including Isis, Hathor, and Osiris. She's depicted in a pleated white linen gown and golden vulture crown, playing senet (a board game symbolizing the passage to the afterlife), and making offerings. The figures are rendered with unusual grace, their poses more fluid and expressive than typical New Kingdom tomb art.

The tomb was discovered by Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1904. Centuries of salt damage and flooding nearly destroyed the paintings. A major Getty Conservation Institute restoration (1986-1992) stabilized them. Today the tomb is open to limited visitors at the Theban necropolis in Luxor, Egypt, with strict limits to protect the fragile surfaces.