An Egyptian Limestone Relief Fragment, Amarna, 18th Dynasty, late in the reign of Akhenaten, circa 1340-1335 B.C.

carved in sunk relief with the head of a royal consort, probably Queen Kiya later transformed into Princess Meritaten, her graceful hands raising an offering bouquet to the Aten, her serene countenance with prominent chin, slightly upturned nose, and long almond-shaped eye.

Jacques Matossian, Paris
Joseph Soustiel, Paris, 1972
the architect Raymond Audigier (1907-1987), Paris
by descent to the present owner

Good and as shown. Note surface chips, diagonal repair line through the upper right hand corner, and the small triangular area of cream-colored restoration on the right edge. There are remains of red pigment on the remaining trace of the royal figure who stood on front of the Princess.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

 For the consort of Akhenaten Queen Kiya, "...great beloved of the King... beautiful child of the living Aten...", whose existence was only recently rediscovered, and the later transformation of her images into the princesses, see Dorothea Arnold, The Royal Woman of Amarna: Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt, New York, 1996, pp. 14-15 and 105-106. The author writes that "this rather enigmatic 'other woman' in Akhenaten's life was nearly eradicated from memory during the king's last years when her name and figure were changed on almost all monuments to those of a daughter of Nefertiti, either Meretaten or Ankhesenpaaten. Twenty years of Egyptological research, however, have restored Queen Kiya to something of her original importance, but questions about her position and eventual disappearance from the Amarna court remain."  For related reliefs where the changes are made clear by visible alterations to the wig, see the reliefs in Copenhagen, Arnold, op. cit., figs. 79 and 100 (Sotheby's, New York, June 18th, 1991, no. 36, and November 21st-22nd, 1985, no. 121). Also compare  R.E. Freed, Y.J. Markowitz, and S.H. D'Auria, Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen, Boston, 1999, no. 91 , and Ägyptische Kunst aus der Zeit des Königs Echnaton, Hamburg, 1965, no. 12.