Aten Sun-Disk Inlay, ca. 1339–1329 B.C.E. Faience, Diam. 2 5/16 in. (5.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.339. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.339_erg456.jpg)
Aten Sun-Disk Inlay, ca. 1339–1329 B.C.E. Faience, Diam. 2 5/16 in. (5.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.339. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.339_NegL1005_33_print_bw.jpg)
Aten Sun-Disk Inlay
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Inlays
The late Eighteenth Dynasty taste for opulence extended to inlaid wall decoration in temples, palaces, and large houses.
During the reign of Akhenaten, skilled workmen began to create scenes by piecing together individual fragments of colored glass or faience. These works depicted the king, natural motifs, and faithful worshipers beneath the Aten sundisk. Many of these motifs had already appeared in paintings in earlier buildings, but the new medium added vividness and prominence. Architectural inlay continued into the Twentieth Dynasty.
The late Eighteenth Dynasty taste for opulence extended to inlaid wall decoration in temples, palaces, and large houses.
During the reign of Akhenaten, skilled workmen began to create scenes by piecing together individual fragments of colored glass or faience. These works depicted the king, natural motifs, and faithful worshipers beneath the Aten sundisk. Many of these motifs had already appeared in paintings in earlier buildings, but the new medium added vividness and prominence. Architectural inlay continued into the Twentieth Dynasty.
MEDIUM
Faience
DATES
ca. 1339–1329 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
Dynasty 18 (probably)
PERIOD
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
DIMENSIONS
Diam. 2 5/16 in. (5.8 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
16.339
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour
PROVENANCE
Archaeological provenance not yet documented, possibly from Tell el-Amarna, Egypt; before 1896, acquired by Charles Edwin Wilbour; 1896, inherited from Charles Edwin Wilbour by Charlotte Beebe Wilbour; 1914, inherited from Charlotte Beebe Wilbour by Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour; 1916, gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Terra cotta red faience Sun Disk with uraeus raised relief at base. Probably an inlay from a relief showing the Aten.
Condition: Chipped at edges. Otherwise good..
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Aten Sun-Disk Inlay, ca. 1339–1329 B.C.E. Faience, Diam. 2 5/16 in. (5.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.339. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.339_erg456.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, CUR.16.339_erg456.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 9/5/2007
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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