Egyptian Amarna Limestone Relief Panel, 3 Men on Boat

Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Amarna Period, late 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, ca. 1361 to 1336 BCE. An exemplary fragment from a hand-carved limestone relief panel depicting three men on a boat. The front of the rectangular panel features a boatman standing next to a tassel-adorned steering pole while grasping a lengthy wooden support line (known as a spar) as the wind creates dozens of blue-hued ripples - which are also symbolic of the waters of the Nile - in the sail above. Two additional men on the righthand side stand with aggressive poses and wear knotted skirts while holding a tall club in one hand and a crescent-shaped khopesh sword in the other. Whether the armed men are enemy warriors aiming to commandeer the vessel or guards tasked with protecting the boat's precious cargo is unknown, however layers of orange-red pigment rubbed within the sunken carvings accentuates many of the intricate detailing. An intriguing example of Egyptian figural artistry! Size: 20.47" L x 8.74" W (52 cm x 22.2 cm)

The Amarna Period in Egyptian art was strongly influenced by the ruling couple, the king Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) and his wife Nefertiti, who made several important changes in religious practices and the construction policy. The sun-god Aten became the supreme god to be worshipped above all the others, and the royal residence was moved to Akhetaten, the "Horizon of Aten," in what is now Amarna. As for the style and the iconography themselves, it is marked by the realistic approach in the representations, especially those of the royal personalities and their domestic life, and the introduction of several novel scenes involving momentary action and natural settings. The technique of sunk relief employed for the multi-figured representations achieved a higher level in the differentiation of lines and shapes, as a result a remarkable subtleness of three-dimensional rendering defines the best images created at this period.

For additional literature, please see: Aldred, Cyril. "Akhenaten and Nefertiti." Studio Publishing, New York, 1973, pp. 133-135, nos. 55, 57.

Cooney, John Ducey. "Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis in American Collections." Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1965, pp. 80-86, nos. 50-51.

Robins, Gay. "The Art of Ancient Egypt." Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1997, pp. 149-165.

Provenance: private New York, USA collection, acquired in 2013; ex-private Swiss-American estate collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired in 1990; ex-Royal-Athena Gallery, New York, New York, USA, #1990.BL8701c, BL8702c; ex-private B.L. collection, taken on consignment on owner's behalf in 1987

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#152809 Dimensions: Condition Report: Nicks and abrasions to figures, obverse, peripheries, and verso, with fading to original pigmentation, softening to some finer details, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits throughout, and great traces of original pigment within sunken details.