A Lapis Lazuli Bust of the Pharaoh Akhenaten

Wearing the conical shaped crown of the Pharaoh, Akhenaten is portrayed as a young man with fine facial features. He was known to have had an extremely long face, but here we see the cheeks following a lovely contour into the chin, a very delicate and sensuous mouth, refined nose and expressive eyes shown slightly beyond the brows, which curve into high cheek bones. Modelling of the neck, arms and chest is carefully rendered, revealing both a smoothness and slight tension of the neck muscles. Akhenaten was something of a religious reformer, reducing the pantheon of gods into one single god of the sun, and thus angering the powerful priestly caste. He stands out among the long list of Pharaohs as a man of great courage and conviction, while possessing sensitivity and culture. It is these qualities which are so beautifully captured in this superb sculpture.