right elbow
Unknown Artist
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.
Medium
Red quartzite
Dimensions
H. 10.8 × W. 13.5 × D. 4.3 cm (4 1/4 × 5 5/16 × 1 11/16 in.)
Classification
Right elbow
Period
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.180.157
Art Historical Context
This intriguing fragment, known simply as *Right Elbow*, hails from ancient Egypt's New Kingdom during the Amarna Period (. 1353–1336 B.C.), a era under Pharaoh Akhenaten's Eighteenth Dynasty rule. Carved from vibrant red quartzite—a tough, durable stone prized for its rich color evoking life-giving blood and solar power—this small piece (just 10.8 cm high) is likely part of a larger statue, depicting a royal figure or elite individual in a dynamic pose. The Amarna Period marked a bold artistic shift from Egypt's rigid, idealized forms to more naturalistic, elongated proportions influenced by...