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Primary sourceSculptureReign of Akhenaten

Torso of Nefertiti with Aten Cartouches

Reign of Akhenaten

A fragmentary limestone torso carved with cartouches of the sun god Aten, linked to Nefertiti.

This torso fragment, marked with cartouches of the Aten, depicts Nefertiti's close connection to Akhenaten's sun-god religion.

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A fragmentary pale limestone sculpture on a dark stand, showing a broken torso-like block with incised hieroglyphic cartouches arranged on its surface and radiating sunray lines. Some edges are chipped and rough.
Torso of Nefertiti with Aten cartouches, limestone. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This fragmentary limestone sculpture shows part of a torso carved with hieroglyphic cartouches of the god Aten and radiating sunray lines. It is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The cartouches carved directly onto the body mark Nefertiti as closely tied to the worship of the Aten, the sun god promoted by Akhenaten during the Amarna Period. This fragment shows how royal religious imagery was carved directly onto the queen's own form, making her body part of the religious message.

Look closer

  • What do the carved cartouches and sunray lines suggest about the queen's religious role?
  • Why might the sculpture show so much damage, and what does that tell you about its history?
  • What does the choice to carve religious symbols onto the body itself suggest about Amarna beliefs?

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Painted limestone bust of an Egyptian queen wearing a tall blue crown with a red and green band and a gold-colored brow band. The eyes are inlaid with dark outlines, and the bust rests on a dark base against a black background.Sculpture

Primary source

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Thutmose · c. 1345 BC

Black-and-white photograph of a painted bust of a woman with a tall flat-topped crown, side-facing, on a dark rectangular pedestal set on a pale plinth. The collar has striped and patterned bands.Sculpture

Primary source

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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