Thebes, tomb of Ramose (No. 55), Amenhotep IV enthroned

In statuary, architecture, and the minor arts the first reigns of Dynasty XVIII illustrate both a development from and a harking back to the forms of the Middle Kingdom. These features are seen in the obvious parallel between the terraced structure of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari and its Dynasty XI antecedent just to its south, the cloaked statues of Hatshepsut’s officials and their Middle Kingdom prototypes, and even in the scenes from the tomb of Inene (No. 81). A freedom to experiment is evidenced after the reign of Tuthmosis III, and it is particularly observable in the work of the tomb painters, for they frequently led the way to change. The episode with the hyena in the tomb of Amenemheb (No. 85) [253] shows a carelessness of execution which is immediately apparent when compared to Intef’s paintings [249,...