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Fragment of a boundary stele with Nefertiti and two princesses

Egyptian
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Akhenaten
1349–1336 B.C.

Medium/Technique Limestone
Dimensions Height x width x depth: 50.8 x 30.5 x 7.4 cm (20 x 12 x 2 15/16 in.)
Credit Line Marilyn M. Simpson Fund
Accession Number1992.18
OUT ON LOAN
On display at Houston Museum of Natural Science, TX, May 17, 2013 – March 31, 2027
ClassificationsArchitectural elementsStele

DescriptionOne of many stele that marked the perimeter of Akhetaten, this frament shows Nefertiti worshipping the Aten, followed by her two eldest daughters. Both daughters hold sistra.
ProvenanceFrom el-Amarna (boundary stela S) [see note 1]; about 1932, removed from the stela at el-Amarna and sold to Maurice Nahman (dealer; b. 1868 - d. 1948), Cairo; 1932, sold by Nahman in Paris to Jacob Hirsch (dealer; b. 1874 - d. 1955), Galerie Ars Classica, Lucerne; November 1, 1932, half-interest sold by Ars Classica to the Brummer Gallery, New York (stock no. H 120); June 24, 1949, half-interest sold by the Brummer Gallery to Ernest Brummer (b. 1891 - d. 1964), New York; April 8, 1969, remaining half-interest sold by the Jacob Hirsch estate to the Ernest Brummer estate; October 16-19, 1979, Ernest Brummer estate sale, Galerie Koller, Zurich, lot 509. By 1991, Noele and Ronald Mele Ancient Works of Art, New York; 1992, sold by Mele Ancient Works of Art to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 26, 1992)

NOTES:
[1] Photographed in-situ and published by N. de G. Davies, The Rock Tombs of El Amarna, Part 5: Smaller Tombs and Boundary Stelae (London, 1908), 26-27, plates XXIX, XL.