Amarna Princess – Daughter of Nefertiti & Akhenaten
This head of an unknown princess dates from the Amarna Period, and the family resemblance among the sculptures of the period is noticeable here.
The youthful face and enlarged, elongated heads tended to be a choice for the Amarna artists to depict the daughters of the king. Found in Amarna, this head is now on display in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
The ‘Amarna revolution’ was not only a religious but also an artistic one. The art of this era is recognizable by its unmistakable sinuous shapes and the singular expressiveness of faces and gestures, which end up surviving, albeit in a less marked manner, in the following epoch.
The Amarna Period lasted less than twenty years: with the advent of the still-child Tutankhaten (‘living image of Aten‘), soon to be renamed Tutankhamun (‘living image of Amun’), traditional cults were restored.
Akhetaten was abandoned and became a quarry for building material. The Amarna interlude, however, marked the transition to a new political, cultural and artistic phase.
A similar head to the princess is currently within the collection of the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, USA. As you can see, the face has extremely similar features; a soft youthful rounded face with deep set almond eyes and painted ochre lips. From the profile view as seen in this clipping below, similarity in likeness to the bust of Nefertiti is evident. Is this a family resemblance between a mother and daughter? Yes, most likely.
Featured within the article “Egyptian Statuary of Courtiers in Dynasty 18” by William Kelly Simpson.
Half of the face is unfortunately missing, but despite the missing half, the true splendour and softness depicted by the ancient artist is still a sight to behold in what remains.
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353–1336 B.C.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1976.602
Summary:
Head of a Princess
New Kingdom, Amarna Period, late 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353-1336 B.C.
Now in the Neues Museum. ÄM 14113
