Secondary sourcePainting

Window of Appearances Relief

Unknown author

A copy of a relief from the Tomb of Ramose showing Nefertiti standing with Akhenaten at the Window of Appearances, one of her earliest known depictions.

Shows one of Nefertiti's earliest appearances, standing with Akhenaten at the Window of Appearances.

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Line drawing of the Window of Appearances scene: a king and queen seated side by side under a sun disk with rays ending in hands, flanked by columns, with hieroglyphs and decorative panels around them. — Modern line drawing copy of the Window of Appearances relief from the Tomb of Ramose, Thebes.

About this source

What it is

This is a modern line drawing copying a relief from the Tomb of Ramose at Thebes, ancient Egypt. It shows King Akhenaten (then still called Amenhotep IV) and Queen Nefertiti seated together under the rays of the sun disk at the Window of Appearances, flanked by columns and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Why it matters

This scene is one of Nefertiti's earliest surviving appearances, created before the royal court moved to El-Amarna. It shows that she was closely linked to the king's new religious ideas about the sun disk from very early in his reign, and that royal appearances before the public were an important part of their rule.

Look closer

What does the position of the king and queen side by side suggest about their relationship?
Why do you think the sun disk and its rays were included in this scene?
What parts of the original relief might be missing or damaged in this copy?

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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.

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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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