Description: Fragment from the side of a vessel in bright sky-blue faience, inscribed with two columns of hieroglyphs in cobalt blue containing remains of 2 cartouches containing the names of Akhenaten and Nefertiti followed by epithets bounded by a cobalt blue box. The body of the vessel is thick and slightly green in colour.
Collector marks: on the reverse are 4 collector stickers. 2 are off-white rectangles with numbers. One is obscured by other stickers and one visible having number 681. 2 have blue surrounding features. One of these is rectangular with a blue line with club shapes running around the rim. This sticker has a brown ink letter M. on it. The other sticker is obscured but is scalloped with a blue encircling band with blue lines radiating from it. Records indicate former numbers associated with the object are 75; 68; and 143.
Cultural Signficance: Inscribed and inlayed 2 toned faience vessels are rare and most well known from the reign of Amenhotep III, but some known for Akhenaten. See comments of Arielle Kozloff, The Malqata/El-Amarna Blues in Chief of Seers, Egyptian Studies in Memory of Cyril Aldred, 1997, pp. 178-192.
Comparanda: National Museums Liverpool 56.21.346; The Walters Art Museum 48.456. For an example of the names with the same epithets see Hymn to the Aten from Tomb of Ay at Amarna, N. de G. Davies, The Rock Tombs of El Amarna VI, 1908, Plate XXVII, column 1.

Inscriptions / Translations:  ////([Akhenate]n)I Great in his lifespan, (///Nefertiti)I May she live

Notes:  Akhenaten name unclear, as both prenomen and nomen can end in n, only the 'n' sign remaining within cartouche, however; position as potentially second cartouche and following epithet, together with no trace of the hieroglyph wa above the n -- a space would be expected behind and under the tail of the Akh bird, suggests it is the nomen, 'Akhenaten'. The hieroglyphs forming the name 'Nefertiti' are mostly visible within the second cartouche, which is missing its top section. Remaining text reads: '[under first cartouche] great in his lifespan … [under second cartouche] may she live!'

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