<P> The hands at the end of each ray extending from Aten in the relief are delivering the ankh, which symbolized "life" in the Egyptian culture, to Akhenaten and Nefertiti, and often also reach the portrayed princesses . The importance of the Sun God Aten is central to much of the Amarna period art, largely because Akhenaten's rule was marked by the monotheistic following of Aten . </P> <P> In several sculptures of Akhenaten, if not most, he has wide hips and a visible paunch . His lips are thick, and his arms and legs are thin and lack muscular tone, unlike his counterparts of other eras in Egyptian artwork . Some scholars suggest that the presentation of the human body as imperfect during the Amarna period is in deference to Aten . Others think Akhenaten suffered from a genetic disorder, most likely the product of inbreeding, that caused him to look that way . Others interpret this unprecedented stylistic break from Egyptian tradition to be a reflection of the Amarna Royals' attempts to wrest political power from the traditional priesthood and bureaucratic authorities . </P> <P> Much of the finest work, including the famous Nefertiti bust in Berlin, was found in the studio of the second and last Royal Court Sculptor Thutmose, and is now in Berlin and Cairo, with some in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York . </P> <P> The period saw the use of sunk relief, previously used for large external reliefs, extended to small carvings, and used for most monumental reliefs . Sunk relief appears best in strong sunlight . This was one innovation that had a lasting effect, as raised relief is rare in later periods . </P>

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