Bust of Nefertiti
by Thutmose, -1345
Details
- Year
- -1345
- Medium
- Limestone and stucco
- Size
- 48 cm (19 in) tall
Thutmose, court sculptor to Pharaoh Akhenaten, created this limestone and stucco bust around 1345 BCE. It depicts Queen Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaten, with her distinctive tall blue crown and elegant swan neck. The work remains one of the most recognized images from ancient Egypt.
German archaeologists discovered the bust in 1912 at Thutmose's abandoned workshop in Amarna. The find sparked immediate controversy. Egypt has repeatedly requested its return, claiming the excavation permit was misleading about the discovery. Germany maintains the bust was legally exported. The dispute continues today.
The bust resides in the Neues Museum in Berlin, displayed in a dedicated room with dramatic lighting. Photography was banned until 2019 to protect the painted surface. One eye socket remains empty, leading to speculation that Nefertiti lost an eye to illness. Most scholars believe the missing inlay was never installed because the bust was a workshop model, never intended for display.
About Bust of Nefertiti
It's at the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany. The bust has its own dedicated room and is the museum's most visited object. Photography is not allowed in the Nefertiti room, though that rule is loosely enforced.
The left eye has no inlay, while the right eye has a rock crystal pupil. Theories range from the eye falling out over 3,000 years to sculptor Thutmose deliberately leaving it blank (perhaps because the bust was a workshop model). CT scans confirmed there was never any adhesive in the left eye socket, suggesting it was intentionally unfinished.
It dates to approximately 1345 BCE, during Egypt's 18th Dynasty. German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt discovered it on December 6, 1912, in Thutmose's workshop at Amarna. The bust is made of limestone with a painted stucco layer and weighs about 20 kg (44 pounds). It stands 49 cm (19 inches) tall.
Yes. Egypt has repeatedly requested its return since the 1920s. The dispute centers on how Germany acquired the bust. Critics say Borchardt's 1912 division of finds was deliberately misleading, downplaying the bust's quality to keep it. Germany maintains the division was legal. The Neues Museum considers it a centerpiece of their collection and has consistently refused repatriation.
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