Aten vessel is the result of roughly 100 hours of meticulous hammering and careful forming. What begins as a flat disc of copper of 500mm diameter is transformed into a large spherical vessel with immense presence.
 
Throughout the proess the outside aquires a rich texture of hammer blows and ripples, and finished with a deep blue verdigris. The inside is gilded with 24k Gold leaf, giving it a radiance and lustre that gives the illusion of a light source.
 
Amenhotep IV ruled Egypt for about 20 years from 1336 BCE, but his heart belonged to the sun. He changed his name to Akhenaten and declared that Egypt would worship only Aten, the sun god.
Leaving the old capitals behind, he led his people into the deserts of Egypt, where he built a city of the sun a vast project of canals and temples, bringing water and life to the barren land. There, under the open sky, the people danced and wailed in worship, offering their devotion directly to the golden light above.
But his reign was brief, and after his passing, Egypt returned to its many gods Thoth, Osiris, and Sekhmet. His city faded into history, lost to the sands.
The Aten vessel takes its name from this legacy:
 
A pot of sun, glowing with golden light.