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Lot Essay
Carved in sunk relief in the distinct style of the late Amarna period, this limestone fragment depicts a princess or queen raising her hands to present the base of a floral bouquet. She stands behind another figure, represented only by the deeply-cut curve of the back at the extreme right edge of the relief. Extensive traces of red paint indicate that this second figure was male, most likely the Pharaoh Akhenaten.
Even in the absence of an inscription, the woman’s elegant almond-shaped eye, delicate chin, and circular ear ornament support her possible identification as Kiya, a shadowy figure often proposed as the mother of the Prince Tutankhaten, later Tutankhamun. Kiya appears in monumental art of the late Amarna period around year 11 of Akhenaten’s reign, frequently in scenes of ritual activity. She disappears by regnal year 17, when her image and name were recarved and replaced by those of the princess Meritaten (see D. Arnold, The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt, pp. 105–107).
A relief in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston showing Kiya holding a perfume container and standing behind Akhenaten as both worship the Aten provides a close stylistic and compositional parallel (inv. no. 1971.294). Two reliefs from Hermopolis, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 1985.382.2) and in Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (inv. no. AEIN 1776), recently joined, depict Kiya wearing the characteristic circular ear ornament as she looks on while Akhenaten offers a duck to the Aten (see W.R. Johnson, “The Akhenaten and Kiya Duck-throttling Scene,” in T. Bagh, ed., Amarna: City of the Sun God). For another talatat fragment showing a woman with comparable features, also identified as Kiya, undergoing a ritual of purification, see the example in New York (inv. no. 1985.328.8, no. 30 in J. Cooney, Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis in American Collections).
In all known depictions, Kiya lacks the royal uraeus, and the rays of the Aten do not reach her. These details suggest that, despite her prominence in settings such as the Great Aten Temple at Akhetaten (el-Amarna), her status remained below that of fully royal women. Although many of her images were extensively recarved after her disappearance to represent Meritaten, no trace of recarving is visible here. This may be due to the loss of portions of her distinctive hairstyle, which elsewhere appear to have drawn the attention of sculptors tasked with altering her image.
Even in the absence of an inscription, the woman’s elegant almond-shaped eye, delicate chin, and circular ear ornament support her possible identification as Kiya, a shadowy figure often proposed as the mother of the Prince Tutankhaten, later Tutankhamun. Kiya appears in monumental art of the late Amarna period around year 11 of Akhenaten’s reign, frequently in scenes of ritual activity. She disappears by regnal year 17, when her image and name were recarved and replaced by those of the princess Meritaten (see D. Arnold, The Royal Women of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt, pp. 105–107).
A relief in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston showing Kiya holding a perfume container and standing behind Akhenaten as both worship the Aten provides a close stylistic and compositional parallel (inv. no. 1971.294). Two reliefs from Hermopolis, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (inv. no. 1985.382.2) and in Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (inv. no. AEIN 1776), recently joined, depict Kiya wearing the characteristic circular ear ornament as she looks on while Akhenaten offers a duck to the Aten (see W.R. Johnson, “The Akhenaten and Kiya Duck-throttling Scene,” in T. Bagh, ed., Amarna: City of the Sun God). For another talatat fragment showing a woman with comparable features, also identified as Kiya, undergoing a ritual of purification, see the example in New York (inv. no. 1985.328.8, no. 30 in J. Cooney, Amarna Reliefs from Hermopolis in American Collections).
In all known depictions, Kiya lacks the royal uraeus, and the rays of the Aten do not reach her. These details suggest that, despite her prominence in settings such as the Great Aten Temple at Akhetaten (el-Amarna), her status remained below that of fully royal women. Although many of her images were extensively recarved after her disappearance to represent Meritaten, no trace of recarving is visible here. This may be due to the loss of portions of her distinctive hairstyle, which elsewhere appear to have drawn the attention of sculptors tasked with altering her image.