Bak (sculptor)

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Bak was "the king's chief sculptor" during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten . He was the son of the master builder and sculptor Men and, as he is documented by several inscriptions, probably held an important position at the court. As an architect and builder, he was involved in a number of large building projects in Amarna , where he held the position of “head of the king's work on the red mountain”.

supporting documents

His appearance is known from the so-called Naos stele (Inv. 31009), which is now kept in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin , on which he is shown together with his wife Taheri. The stele is of great artistic and archaeological interest mainly because it is one of the few surviving images from the Amarna period that does not show any member of the royal family. Bak shows himself on her as an earthly creator god who, like some traditional depictions of Akhenaten , has both male and female body shapes. Today it is predominantly assumed that Bak is also the creator of the stele, so that it can currently be regarded as the oldest surviving self-portrait.

On a relief on a rock stele in Aswan , on which he is shown together with his father, he is referred to as "one whom his Majesty himself instructed". This remark certainly relates to the fact that Akhenaten is to be regarded as the spiritual father of the so-called "Amarna art". Whether this relief is also a work by Bak is controversial and cannot currently be proven.

literature

personal data
SURNAME Bak
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Egyptian sculptor under Pharaoh Akhenaten
DATE OF BIRTH 15th century BC BC or 14th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 14th century BC BC or 13th century BC Chr.