The Blue Crown is a flanged helmet, adorned with golden discs, with the uraeus and a vulture on the brow. From the Eighteenth Dynasty onwards, kings were often shown wearing the Blue Crown, which had become associated with royal ceremonies. The Blue Crown had evolved from a military headdress.
This unfinished limestone statue is of high artistic quality. It was discovered in a sculptor's atelier, or workshop, at Tell el-Amarna. It depicts Akhenaten supporting on his knee one of his daughters, probably Meritaten.
The king sits on a stool wearing a short-sleeved tunic and the Blue Crown of ceremonies. The girl turns her head affectionately toward her father who is kissing her.
It is an intimate depiction of life at the palace and shows the humanity of the pharaoh who described himself as "the one living in justice." He intended to be portrayed in a human manner and at a sincerely affectionate moment between father and child.
Dimensions:
Height 40 cm
Length 21.5 cm
Width 16 cm
