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Primary sourceSculpturec. 1344 BCE

Statuette of Akhenaten and Nefertiti

c. 1344 BCE

A painted limestone statuette of Akhenaten and Nefertiti standing hand in hand, showing the unusual closeness of the royal couple in Amarna art.

This statuette shows Nefertiti standing hand in hand with Akhenaten, emphasising her role as his royal partner.

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Painted limestone statuette of a king and queen standing side by side holding hands against a back slab. Both wear tall blue-and-white crowns and broad collars; the figure on the right is nude above a pleated kilt. Dark background.
Statuette of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, c. 1344 BCE. Department of Egyptian Antiquities, Louvre.

About this source

What it is

This painted limestone statuette shows King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti standing side by side, holding hands, both wearing tall crowns and broad collars. It dates from around 1344 BCE and is held by the Department of Egyptian Antiquities of the Louvre.

Why it matters

Pair statues showing a pharaoh and queen holding hands, as equals and partners, were a striking novelty of the Amarna period. This piece reflects the new emphasis Akhenaten and Nefertiti placed on their joint rule and shared religious role in worship of the Aten.

Look closer

  • What does the hand-holding pose suggest about the relationship the sculptor wanted to show?
  • Why might the artist have painted the statuette, and what might the original colours have meant?
  • What details are missing that would tell us who commissioned this piece and why?

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Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Thutmose · c. 1345 BC

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Figure of Nefertiti

Close-up detail of an Amarna limestone relief. A seated woman wearing a tall flat-topped crown is at right, with a sun disc and rays above. At left, a smaller figure with a child's head is seated near her, and carved hieroglyphs fill the background.Sculpture

Primary source

Akhenaten and His Family

c. 1352 BC

Photo of a curved, blue glazed ceramic fragment with white body edge, covered in raised concentric ring motifs with dots. Two holes pierce the piece near its center, with a scale bar along the bottom.Sculpture

Primary source

Relief Fragment Showing the Blue Crown of Nefertiti

Black-and-white line drawing of columns of Egyptian hieroglyphic text arranged in vertical lines, with cartouches visible, copied from a wall inscription. This is a facsimile of the Great Hymn to the Aten.Document

Primary source

Great Hymn to the Aten

Akhenaten · c. 1350 BC

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