Akhenaten Sacrificing a Duck
Unknown Artist
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
Medium
Limestone, paint
Dimensions
H. 25 × W. 55 × D. 3.3 cm (9 13/16 × 21 5/8 × 1 5/16 in.)
Classification
Talatat, Akhenaten, duck
Period
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Norbert Schimmel, 1985
Accession Number
1985.328.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This limestone relief from Egypt’s Amarna Period (ca. 1353–1336 B.C.) shows Pharaoh Akhenaten offering a duck, a gesture that reflects the era’s emphasis on direct worship of the sun disk Aten. Created during Dynasty 18 of the New Kingdom, the carved panel captures a moment of royal piety at a time when Akhenaten dramatically reshaped religious life, moving attention away from the traditional pantheon toward a single deity. Carved in limestone and once brightly painted, the work measures just 25 cm high yet conveys the distinctive Amarna artistic style: elongated proportions, a sense of gentl...