2-586-486 - © CM Dixon/Heritage Images

Fragment of wall painting from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, c1350 BC. Though a standard subject for a Theban tomb painting, this banquet scene is one of the finest examples. Musicians and dancers entertain the guests. The musicians are perhaps the most striking. They are shown frontally rather than in profile, a break in the usual convention of ancient Egyptian art. From the British Museum's collection.