Wall Paintings in the Tomb of Seti I (KV17)

This wall painting, located in the tomb of Seti I, is organized into horizontal registers filled with polychrome hieroglyphic text and figures. The upper register shows a line of standing deities in profile, while the middle registers feature a series of recumbent, mummy-wrapped figures lying on biers. The bottom register shows standing figures of gods and priests approaching a central arched shrine containing a deity, flanked by a large, coiled serpent. The figures are painted in a traditional Egyptian canon, with ochre, black, and white tones against a limestone plaster wall.

These reliefs are a primary source for the 'Book of Gates', an important Ancient Egyptian funerary text that describes the journey of the soul through the underworld and the twelve hours of the night. The tomb of Seti I is renowned for the artistic refinement and completeness of its mythological programs, designed to ensure the Pharaoh's safe transition and eternal life.