Amarna Period

Akhenaton, pillar statue from the Temple of Amen-Re, Karnak , ca. 1355-1335 B.C.

 

Although there was long continuity in the artistic styles adopted by Ancient Egypt, there was one particular break that should be noted.  In the 14th Century B.C., the Pharaoh that came to be known as Akhenaton [Amenophis IV] proclaimed a new religion. He dismissed the Egyptian Pantheon and claimed that there was only one god — Aton, the sun god (not Amen, the former sun god).

He shut down the temples, dismissed the priests, and moved the capital from Thebes to Tell el-Amarna.   He built a new city and new shrines.  He appropriated this god and claimed that Aton would only make revelations to him.

With this new religion, Akhenaton adopted a new artistic style which was more curvaceous and more sensual than that seen in earlier royal portraits.  Note his elongated head, sunken chest, and wide hips.

Thutmose, Queen Nefertiti, ca. 1355-1335 B.C. 

During the reign of Akhenaton, we also see a new ideal of feminine beauty in the sculpture of Nefertiti, Akhenaton’s wife.  This portrait was done by her court sculptor, Thutmose.

Akhenaton & Nefertiti had six daughters and no son.  They married one of their daughters to Tutankamen, who was Akhenaton’s successor.

Akhenaton ruled for only sixteen years and when he died, Tutankamen was only about nine or ten.  As you can imagine, there was a swift backlash against the new religion and a return to tradition.

Tiye, from Gurob, Egypt , Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1353-1335 B.C.

 

Tiye was the mother of Akhenaton.  This sculpture is very small — only 3 3/4 inches high.  It was carved out of yew (wood).  The eyes are inlaid alabaster and ebony.  The lips were painted red.  The earring are gold and lapis lazuli.  Originally, there was a silver headdress.  Her hair is made from plaster and linen with small beads.  This portrait is also much more naturalistic and actually emphasizes her age.  She was an African woman and a commoner by birth.  She became the chief wife of Ahmenhotep III.