Block fragment with cartouche of Akhenaten
Unknown Artist
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
Medium
yellow quartzite
Dimensions
H. 8.8 × W. 11.2 × D. 4.6 cm (3 7/16 × 4 7/16 × 1 13/16 in.); cartouche: W. 6.8 cm (2 11/16 in.)
Classification
Corner of a block with cartouche of Akhenaten
Period
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1921
Accession Number
21.9.445
Tags
Art Historical Context
This modest yet captivating block fragment, carved from lustrous yellow quartzite,ails from the Amarna Period of Egypt's New Kingdom (ca.1353–1336 B.C.), during Dynasty 18. It features the royal cartouche—an oval enclosure protecting the name of Pharaoh Akhenaten the revolutionary ruler who upended traditional Egyptian religion by promoting the worship of the sun disk Aten as the supreme deity. Akhenaten's brief reign marked a dramatic shift, with his new capital at Amarna producing bold, naturalistic art that broke from rigid conventions. Yellow quartzite, a hard, golden stone quarried from ...