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Egyptian Artifacts

The Wilbour Plaque

Not only is the Wilbour Plaque one of my absolute favorite pieces, this is one of the most famous pieces of Amarna-era art! The Brooklyn Museum has an amazing collection of artifacts from Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– rule π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“ and I’ll never forget the first time I got to see it with my Nonno!Β 

Wilbour Plaque
Me with the Wilbour Plaque at the Brooklyn Museum!

After Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ, Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– is my second favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 because of just how different his reign π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“ was compared to the other pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ – not only did the art style completely change, but the religion changed too! 

The top piece in the display is known as the Wilbour Plaque, named after Charles Wilbour who acquired it in 1881. This limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ piece is interesting because it is complete as is it was; it was never part of a larger scene and was most likely used as a model for sculptors! Sculptor models were used by artists as references when they were making official art of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻!Β 

The Wilbour Plaque (top) and another Sculptor’s Model (bottom) on display at the Brooklyn Museum!

While there aren’t any inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, it is assumed that the people represented here are Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– and Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­. However, some argue that the person accompanying Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­ in the image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 could either be Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ or Smenkare π“‡³π“Šƒπ“‰»π“‚“π“‚¦π“†£. 

To me this piece is interesting because the Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³ is no where in sight! Usually Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– is always accompanied by an image of the sun 𓇳𓏺/Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³ with sun rays shining on him. It’s almost kinda weird to see him like this! 

The second piece in the display is another sculptor’s model! This piece shows Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– with another member of the royal family, and a hand! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.