Vintage Egyptian Painted Papyrus of King Akhenaten During Offering Ceremony. The painting is quite large. Framed dimensions are 41 inches long, 34 inches wide, and about 1 inch deep with the papyrus itself measuring 35 inches high and 24 inches wide. It is signed by the Egyptian artist, Mohamed Ali (MA) and was framed professionally. The subject of the painting is King Akhenaten who married Queen Nefertiti and fathered King Tutankhamen (King Tut). Akhenaten introduced dramatic changes in the religion, art and culture of Egypt during his reign. In this image, Akhenaten wears the Hedjet, the crown of Upper Egypt, and gives lotus flowers among other offerings to the god Aton represented as a sun disk in keeping with the king's monotheistic beliefs. Nefertiti and their daughter, Meritaton, follow Akhenaten in the procession. Aton reaches down to the royal family in golden rays of light with each ray culminating in a tiny hand that provides a life giving force, symbolized by the Ankh, to the king and queen. Papyrus is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It is hand made from the pith of an aquatic plant and has naturally occurring vertical and horizontal lines throughout. After being washed, pressed and dried, a scene is sketched and the papyrus is hand painted with metallic paints. The artist's signature can be found bottom right. The work was purchased by a relative during one of two or thee trips to egypt during the late 1980s and early 1990s.