Altarpiece King Akhenaten with Queen Nefertiti and her three daughters
This Egyptian mural is an altarpiece of King Akhenaten with Queen Nefertiti and her three daughters. The original comes from Tel el Amarna in Egypt and is made of limestone. The relief clearly shows the stylistic elements of the early Armanacust in the body details of the royal family, such as the slender and overlong necks. The relief panel is the altarpiece of a shrine and has survived completely only in this image. The wall relief scene shows the royal couple in mistrustful togetherness with their children and above it the appearance in which Akhenaten saw the god Aton and had him represented: as a sun disk with a multiplicity of ray arms which lead to the earth and send "signs of life".
If in former times king and god stood opposite to each other on one level, Aton is now visible in the sun disk placed in the sky. Representing mankind is the royal couple Akhenaten and Nefertiti with their daughters, as it were as mediators between man and God.
An interesting detail: On the left side King Akhenaten sits on a stool! In front of him stands the eldest daughter, Meritaton, to whom he hands a piece of jewelry. Opposite him on the right side sits Queen Nefertiti, on whose lap the other two daughters play, Maketaton and Anchesenpaaton. In the upper field, in the center of the altar, there is the solar disk of Aton, whose rays end in hands that offer the sign of life (Anch) and thus life. In the picture field there are various inscriptions that give the names and titles of the persons depicted. The altar is framed on three sides by a blue band of hieroglyphs. The dating of the relief is based on features typical for the Amarna period into the end of the first half of Akhenaten's reign. Such altars are typical for the Amarna period and were found mainly during the excavations in Amarna, the capital of Akhenaten at that time, "Achet-Aton". They were altars placed in private chapels or houses so that people could worship the royal family and the sun god Aton.
The museum copy made of finest alabaster stucco with antique patina was made after the original in the Egyptian Museum Berlin. The wall relief measures approximately 26 by 22 centimeters. King Akhenaten lived from 1351 to 1334 BC. The wonderful image of the royal scene is a real gem and an original gift for any lover of Egyptian art - for yourself or a loved one.
- Wall relief size approx 26x22cm
- Amenophis (Amenhotep) IV / Akhenaten (1351 - 1334 BC)
- Museum copy made of alabaster stucco with antique patina
- Hanging on the back
- Original Egyptian Museum Berlin
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