Royal torso

Reign of Akhenaten, 1353 - 1336 B.C.
Quartzite; h. 29.4 cm, w. 13 cm, d. 12.6 cm
Department of Egyptian Antiquities.
Louvre Museum, Paris

Carved by a master sculptor with the skill to translate a sheer, close-fitting garment into stone, this sculpture illustrates the Amarna artistic ideal, with high waist, full belly, and voluptuous thighs. The figure probably represented Nefertiti or perhaps one of her daughters.