A Published Amarna Sandstone Relief Fragment Depicting Merit-Aten Holding a Sistrum, Amarna Period, ca. 1379 – 1362 BCE,

This sandstone relief fragment portrays Merit-Aten, eldest daughter of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, and later Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Semenkhkara, her brother.  The princess is delicately rendered in profile, wearing the side-lock of youth and displaying the distinctive elongated facial proportions characteristic of Amarna art. She raises a sistrum, the sacred rattle-like instrument traditionally played by women in temple rituals dedicated to Hathor and other deities, here appropriated to the royal cult of the Aten.  The carving preserves crisp facial contours and elegant linear modeling typical of court ateliers of the period.   Princesses are frequently depicted participating in ritual and courtly scenes during the Amarna era, often with musical instruments, reinforcing the centrality of the royal family in Aten worship. The subject’s youthful sidelock, attenuated features, and intimate devotional gesture are hallmarks of Amarna art. The presence of the sistrum emphasiz