23. Bust of the Queen Nefertiti,

Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty,

Amarna period, c. 1340 B.C.E.

Painted limestone, 47 cm. Neues Museum, Berlin.

 

 

Nefertiti is one of the most famous Egyptian queens in world history, partially because of this well-known representation of her. Sculpted in Tell el-Amarna, in the official sculptor to Akhenaton’s studio—where Nefertiti was the royal wife—this bust epitomizes the beauty of its model. The finesse of the representation, the brilliance of its colours and the delicacy of the royal facial features make this sculpture one of the most important masterpieces of Ancient Egypt. During her life, the queen, who retained a major political role beside her husband, was already famous for her remarkable beauty. In fact, the name Nefertiti, in Egyptian, means “the beautiful one has come.” Next to the pharaoh, Nefertiti exercised notable influence on the different cultural and religious changes initiated by her husband, especially concerning the abolition of the cult of Amon and the accession of Aton. Always loyal to the sun god, even after the disappearance of Akhenaton, Nefertiti died at the age of thirty five after retiring from her public life. Along with Nefertiti’s uncertain origins, her grave remains one of the great mysteries of Egyptology. It is probable that at her death, her body was next to that of Akhenaton in Tell el-Amarna. However, remains of her body have yet to be found. Perhaps their bodies were desecrated like the numerous relics from the Amarnian period or they were possibly transferred to Thebes when the city of the heretical pharaoh was abandoned.