th these figures, like before for Narmer, are use to reinforce Khafre’s divine right of kingship. The noticeable difference between this piece and the Palette of Narmer is the way in which the human form is done. Khafre is much more naturalistic, although not perfectly (Khafre’s kilt and hair are still stylized). Underlying organic structures such as muscle and bone are depicted. This is in contrast to the stylized form of Narmer. Also, Khafre is shown in perfect human condition. His body’s proportions and muscle definition are very idealized. His face expresses no emotion. These qualities are characteristic to sculpture in the Old Kingdom when this piece was done in 2500 B.C. The small relief, Akhenaten and Nefertiti and their Children, represents unprecedented changes in the depiction of Egyptian rulers. This piece shows a very naturalistic view of the human body in that the proportions are not idealized, but it also parallels previous works with the frontal torso and profiled head and legs. Depictions of leaders in this way were as unseen before Akhenaten. Although the children are shown in unnatural proportions, their freedom of movement and childlike behavior show emotion unseen in previous works. The scene’s depicted intimacy between the ruler and his children reflect the new humanistic approach used during Akhenaten’s time as ruler. So, while the stylization and conceptual pose reflects some previous work, the natural human body and emotion represent serious breaks in traditional depictions of Egyptian leaders. Another very distinct difference in this work is in the depiction of the god. Aten, the sun disk god and the only god recognized by Akhenaten, is depicted as a pure circular shape unlike all previous depictions of gods in human or animal form; But like previous gods, Aten plays a similar as a protector of the ruler.These three works show relatively well how the depiction of Eg...
