The art of the Amarna Period during the reign of the "heretic king" Akhenaten (1353-1336 B.C.) was initially naturalistic in style, a direct contradiction of the standard strict formalism of ancient Egyptian art. The pharaoh's sculptors often depicted his six daughters and beguiling queen, the beautiful Nefertiti, in many of their stone compositions. This delicate statue's exact identity remains unknown. The princess' body is draped in a vertically striated form-fitting gown that emphasizes the sensual curves of her body. This piece and more than 100 others describe the art, history and culture of Akhenaten's relocated capital city in Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
"Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun" is on view from November 12, 2006 through October 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Telephone: 215-898-4000; Website). The museum is open Thursday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Admission donation is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for senior citizens over 62 years of age, full-time students with school identification card and children ages 5 to 17. Admission is free on Sunday between Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends.
For further reading:
Freed, Rita E., Yvonne J. Markowitz and Sue H. D'Auria (eds.), et al.
Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen (exh. cat.).
Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1999.
Arnold, Dorothea, Lyn Green and James Allen. The Royal Women
of Amarna: Images of Beauty in Ancient Egypt (exh. cat.).
New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996.
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From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.
"Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun" is on view from November 12, 2006 through October 2007 at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (Telephone: 215-898-4000; Website). The museum is open Thursday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Admission donation is $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for senior citizens over 62 years of age, full-time students with school identification card and children ages 5 to 17. Admission is free on Sunday between Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends.
For further reading:
Freed, Rita E., Yvonne J. Markowitz and Sue H. D'Auria (eds.), et al.
Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen (exh. cat.).
Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1999.
Arnold, Dorothea, Lyn Green and James Allen. The Royal Women
of Amarna: Images of Beauty in Ancient Egypt (exh. cat.).
New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1996.
**************************
From your Guide: Stan Parchin, Senior Correspondent for Museums and Special Exhibitions, is a specialist in ancient, late-medieval and Renaissance art and history, and a regular contributor to About Art History. You may read all of his Special Exhibition and Catalogue Reviews here.