A painting of an ancient Egyptian garden found in the funerary chapel of Sennefer and copied in the 19th century by Ippolito Rosellini
A fresco plan of Sennefer’s Garden, found in the Tomb of the Vines near Luxor in Egypt, dating from 1439-1413 BCE, depicted in a copy by Ippolito Rosellini from the 19th century
Credit: DEA / G LOVERA / De Agostini
The original painting of this Egyptian garden was found in the funerary chapel of Sennefer, an ancient Egyptian noble and favourite of pharaoh Amenhotep II, and overseer of the granaries, fields and gardens of Amun. The garden depicted is considered most likely to have been one that was managed or even designed by Sennefer, and consists of palm trees, lotus flowers and pools surrounded by a high clay wall and accessed by boat from the river.
While the original painting no longer exists, a careful copy was made in the 19th century by Ippolito Rosellini, an Italian Egyptologist who lived from 1800-1843 and is regarded as the founder of Egyptology in Italy.
