Ancient Egyptian (Unknown), CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Funerary Figure of Akhenaten
by Ancient Egyptian (Unknown), -1336
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- -1336
- Medium
- Granite
- Size
- H. 27 × W. 8.2 × D. 7 cm (10 5/8 × 3 1/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Cite or Embed This Work
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Ancient Egyptian The only known complete funerary figure (shabti) of the pharaoh Akhenaten. He wears a royal beard and khat headdress with a protective cobra (uraeus) at the brow. Made from granite, it stands just 10 5/8 inches tall and dates to around 1353-1336 BCE.
Over 200 shabti fragments inscribed for Akhenaten are known, but this is the only one that survived intact. There's a paradox here: shabtis were connected to Osiris worship, which Akhenaten banned when he imposed monotheistic worship of the Aten. Yet over 200 fragments exist. The king's shabtis carry only his names and titles, lacking the standard Book of the Dead spell (Chapter 6) that compelled the figure to work in the afterlife.
It's in Gallery 121 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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About Funerary Figure of Akhenaten
It's the only known complete funerary figure of Akhenaten. Over 200 fragments exist, but no other survived intact. It's made from granite and stands just 10 5/8 inches tall.
A funerary servant figure buried with the dead, meant to perform labor in the afterlife. Most shabtis carry a spell from the Book of the Dead striking them to work. Akhenaten's shabtis lack this spell, carrying only his names and titles.
Shabtis were linked to Osiris worship, which Akhenaten banned when he imposed worship of the Aten. Yet over 200 shabti fragments for Akhenaten exist, showing traditional afterlife beliefs persisted even during his religious revolution.
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