
by Thutmose, -1345
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.
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
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