Faience grapes from Amarna. These are around 5cm long and 3 cm wide and thick. The grape was made of two identical parts which were removed from the mould, partly dried and joined with slurry before firing. Grape clusters are found in scattered clusters at Amarna. They are also found on other New Kingdom sites. The upper half of one side of the cluster was removed and holes pierced in the other for attachment to a beam. A very large faience grape bunch (over 15cm long) was found in a garden shrine of T36.11 in the 1929 excavations, object number 29/239 (Frankfort and Pendelbury 1933, 25). The ceiling of the shrine seems to have been decorated with painted grapes. Elsewhere, grapes seem to have been used to decorate the royal throne or as foundation deposits (Brovarski et al. 1982, 42). See also Friedman, F.D. 1998, 189-190. References and further reading Brovarski, E. Doll, S.K. and Freed, R. E. 1982. Egypt's Golden Age. The Art of Living in the New Kingdom. 1558-1085 BC. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Frankfort, H. and Pendlebury J.D.S. 1933, The City of Akhenaten Part II, The north suburb and the desert alters: the excavations at tell el-Amarna during the seasons 1926-1932. Egypt Exploration Society: London. Friedman, F.D. ed. 1998. Gifts of the Nile Ancient Egyptian Faience. London: Thames and Hudson.
