The bezel of this gold stirrup ring has long attracted debate. It was once interpreted as an image of Akhenaten and Nefertiti as the gods Shu and Tefnut, children of Atum-Re, with the solar disk above and the earth below. This reading drew upon the strong Heliopolitan influence apparent in Amarna religion and a proposed...
Known as the Salt Head, after the British collector and diplomat Henry Salt, this arresting portrait of a shaven-headed man is one of the more enigmatic works in the Louvre’s Egyptian collection. The long, finely modelled face, prominent lips, narrow eyes and pierced ears have encouraged comparisons with the distinctive portraiture of the late 18th...
This fragment of wall painting, often known as the “Princess Fresco”, formed the lower portion of a larger decorative scene from the royal palace at Amarna, the city founded by Akhenaten. The scene depicts the king and his queen, Nefertiti, relaxing informally with their daughters within the palace residence. Two of the princesses are shown...
In a quiet chamber of House L.50.12 at Amarna, not far from a modest domestic shrine, excavators of the 1923–24 season uncovered two sandstone figures standing side by side: the heretic king Akhenaten and his queen, the ever-radiant Nefertiti. Fashioned in the later years of the Atenist experiment, both statues once held offering trays aloft...
A usekh collar (from the Egyptian wskh, meaning “broad” or “wide”) is a wide, multi-rowed necklace that spreads across the shoulders and chest and worn as a striking symbol of beauty, status, and splendour in Ancient Egypt. While many such collars were originally made from fresh flowers and other perishable materials, examples like this were...
This intimate limestone group captures three generations (or three male relatives) in quiet harmony. The two men and the boy are rendered in the distinctive style of the Amarna Period, with elongated heads and supple, naturalistic forms. Scholars have long debated their identity: are they a grandfather, father, and son united in familial devotion, or...
This finely carved limestone head depicts Akhenaten, the pharaoh who reshaped Ancient Egypt’s religion and art in devotion to the Aten, the radiant sun-disc. The king wears the blue war crown (khepresh), its smooth form contrasting with the sensitive modelling of his features. Traces of red pigment still tint the lips, lending warmth to the...
This luminous broad collar, fashioned from glazed composition, is a jewel of colour and meaning. Its three openwork rows bloom like the gardens of Amarna, with the upper ring bearing yellow mandrake fruits, beneath them unfurl green fronds of date palm, and below, a fringe of yellow, white, and mauve lotus petals. Between each pendant...
This sandstone relief comes from the early reign of Amenhotep IV (later known as Akhenaten) and based upon the style it is believed this relief was from Karnak Temple, prior to the founding of the experimental capital of Akhetaten (Amarna). Early in his reign, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), like many kings before him, undertook ambitious building...
Maru-Aten was not a palace in the traditional domestic sense, but more a ritual garden estate with strong royal and possibly sacred associations. While Princess Meritaten (daughter of Akhenaten & Nefertiti) may have resided there temporarily, but it wasn’t likely a full-time domestic residence like a proper palace, more so a retreat rather than a permeant household.
