One of the most famous representations of birds from ancient Egypt comes from the wall of Dynasty XII tomb of Khnumhotep II (no. 3) at Beni Hasan. While the tomb owner is trapping waterfowl on a pool with a clap-net, these charming birds are shown perching on branches of two flowering acacia trees flanking the pond, with the tree closer to the tomb owner being more elaborately executed. Thanks to its distance from the ground, the scene is exceptionally well preserved, having mostly avoided the thick coating of grey film.
Brimming with birdlife, both acacia trees are beautifully painted with the sweet-scented golden flower balls nested among the delicate green foliage. What is particularly special about this scene is the astonishing amount of detail with which the birds are represented, making them easily identifiable. This is even more impressive given the fact that the Egyptian artists had few opportunities to observe these birds, which, aside from the hoopoe and the turtledove, are passage migrants.
Image reconstruction with actual birds and their chatter – At the Mummies Ball / Wall painting from the tomb of Khnumhotep II – Courtesy of the Australian Centre for Egyptology, Macquarie University, Sydney
The remarkable portrayal of the hoopoe (Upupa epops) shows the bird in its favorite setting, the acacia tree (Acacia nilotica), which all of these delightful birds were fond of, so the scene very much resembles nature. Special attention was given to illustrating its cinnamon body plumage, long curved beak, black and white wings as well as its characteristic crest. The bird with outstretched wings, and the one above it, are both masked shrikes (Lanius nubicus), with the species’ peculiar black and white plumage and red breast faithfully represented. The immature masked shrike is shown in flight, perhaps impatient to join the other birds and settle on a branch or, as Evans suggested, attempting to chase the other masked shrike from its territory. To the right of them, a red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) with a gray head (rendered blue), chestnut back and black eye stripe faces the waterfowl, with a common redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) pictured underneath. The redstart’s cinnamon-colored tail, which gives the bird its name, is unmistakable in the scene.
The other acacia is equally vibrant with birdlife. Here as well, two masked shrikes are shown, one roosting on a branch and the other in flight. Another redstart is shown at top left facing the flock of waterfowl. Yet, at lower right a turtledove is shown in a similar posture as the hoopoe from the first tree.
This remarkable scene can now be enjoyed in its full brilliance. “The curious natural film,” as Davies described it, has been removed, allowing the scene’s colors to shine through. In the eyes of many an Egyptologist, this painting is worthy of admiration. For instance, Davies says that “the group [of birds]… is exceptionally charming” and Smith and Simpson saw it as: “one of the most charming pieces of observation on the part of an ancient painter and a fine instance of the naturalistic impulse that remains constant near the surface in all Egyptian works.” Not everyone agrees, however. Frankfort thought that there was little resemblance to the liveliness of living birds in the scene leading him to compare the birds to museum specimens. Norman Davies described the scene as whole for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin as a “fine example of Middle Kingdom painting and as regards certain details is of quite superlative merit and attractiveness.” Moreover, the charming detail of “Birds in an Acacia Tree” so faithfully reproduced by his wife Nina, can alone “bear out this praise.”
Bibliography
A. David, ‘Hoopoes and Acacias,’ in JNES Vol. 73, No. 2, 2014
F.L. Griffith (Ed.), Beni Hasan, Part IV: Zoological and Other Details, London: EES 1900
H. Frankfort, The Mural Painting of El-‘Amarneh, London: Egypt Exploration Society, 1929
L. Evans “Birds caught in a net.” in The Beni Hassan Visual Dictionary: Khnumhotep II, edited by Alexandra Woods, Brian Ballsun-Stanton, and Nicolle Leary. Sydney: Macquarie University, 2018. https://benihassan.com/exhibition/Kanawati-Evans-BH1-Pl-70-Beni-Hassan-3-Khnumhotep-II-Chapel-Scene-East-wall-Above-doorway-Wall/
N. M. Davies, Ancient Egyptian Paintings. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1936
N. de G. Davies, ‘The Work of the Graphic Branch of the Expedition’ in MMAB 28/4 :1, 1933
N. Kanawati, L. Evans, Beni Hassan. Vol. I: The Tomb of Khnumhotep II (ACE Reports 36; Oxford: Aris and Phillips, 2014).
P. F. Houlihan, The Birds of Ancient Egypt. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1986
R. F. Bailleul-LeSuer, Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt. Chicago: OI, 2012
W. S. Smith, W. S. Simpson, Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt. New Haven: Yale Uni Press, 1998