Thutmose: The Berlin head of Nefertiti (1345 B.C.)

(Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany)

A sculpture made by the ancient Egyptian artist Thutmose. This famous bust was discovered in 1912 in Amarna, the capitol of ancient Egypt during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). Other items discovered at the site identified the place at which the bust was found as the house and workshop of Thutmose, an artist with the title 'The King's Favourite and Master of Works' which states that he was the official court sculptor of the pharaoh. The depicted woman is Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti (= "a beautiful woman has come"), the Great Royal Wife (= the principal wife) of pharaoh Akhenaten. Who the parents were of Nefertiti is not known but her name hints that she perhaps was a foreigner. The bust is 48 centimeters high, is made of limestone and stucco and weighs about 20kg. The face of Nefertiti is completely symmetrical and she carries a flat-topped blue crown (today known as 'the Nefertiti cap') which is decorated with golden ribbons and an (now snapped-of) Uraeus (an upright Egyptian cobra, symbol of royalty and protection). The bust is missing its left eye (they searched for it but couldn't find it) - it is suggested that the left eye was deliberately left empty to allow students to study inlay techniques. The purpose of the bust is also unclear. Around 50 unfinished and unwanted work of Thurmose was discovered around the bust, leading to the suggestion that the bust was teaching aid. Sculpture from around 1345 B.C.