Inlay Showing Akhenaten
Created in Cairo in 1922
Purchased from the Egypt Exploration Society in 1922
Accession # 7043-22
The Egypt Exploration Society made about 200 casts like this one and sent them as gifts to their sponsors. It replicates an image of Akhenaten excavated from the Meru-Aten, a solar temple.
The original stone inlay, now in the Cairo Museum (Cairo JE 47173, excavation no. 22/211), was found with a similar inlay depicting the queen, Nefertiti, in Area II of the Meru-Aten. These inlays are examples of composite decoration, incorporating a wide array of stones and other materials. This technique emphasized the beauty of the natural world and the abundance of resources available to royal workshops.
Letter from the EES to the museum director describing the cast.
Excavation image of the original stone inlays showing Akhenaten (right) and his queen Nefertiti (left). Photograph: Courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society, 1922.
