Heads of Akhenaten & Nefertiti

These heads, discovered within the remnants of the studio of the sculptor Thutmose at Tel el-Amarna, clearly depict king Akhenaten and his Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. Despite no markings, based upon appearance alone we can almost certainly identify the royal pair.

The heads are made of plaster (stucco) and are life-sized. Stucco is applied wet and hardens into a dense solid. It is utilised as a decorative coating for interior and outdoor walls, as well as a sculptural and creative material in architecture and art (sculpture).

The Sculptor Thutmose

Thutmose, also known as “The King’s Favourite and Master of Works, the Sculptor Thutmose” (also spelt Djhutmose, Thutmosis, and Thutmes), was an Amarna style sculptor. He lived around 1350 BC and is supposed to have been the official court sculptor of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten in the later half of his reign.

In early December 1912, a German archaeological expedition digging in Akhenaten’s deserted city of Akhetaten (now known as Amarna) discovered a ruined house and studio complex (labelled P47.1-3); the building was identified as Thutmose’s based on an ivory horse indicator found in a pit in the courtyard inscribed with his name and job title.

Twenty-two plaster casts of faces (some with whole heads, some with just the face) were discovered in Rooms 18 and 19 of Thutmose’s workshop, with another in Room 14.

Eight of these have been recognised as members of the royal family, including Akhenaten, his second wife Kiya, his late father Amenhotep III, and his ultimate successor Ay. The rest are unknown people, most likely Amarna’s then current residents.

A Visual Reconstruction of Nefertiti’s Features

This visual comparison, compiled by us here at Egypt-Museum.com, presents a compelling side-by-side transformation of an unfinished plaster head of Nefertiti (Ägyptisches Museum. ÄM 21349) gradually merging into her iconic polychrome bust, one of the most celebrated images of the ancient world. Both pieces were unearthed in the famed workshop of the royal sculptor Thutmose at Tell el-Amarna, the short-lived capital of king Akhenaten.

Carved during the 14th century B.C., this stucco white head is widely believed to have served as a sculptor’s model; a foundational stage in the artistic process that culminated in the final, painted masterpiece. Though the features on the plaster study are unfinished and worn, their unmistakable symmetry and proportion reveal the artist’s careful planning. The pronounced cheekbones, refined lips, and elegant jawline align perfectly with the better-known painted bust, suggesting they are two manifestations of the same artistic vision, if not the same queen.

What is particularly enchanting about this transition is how it highlights the Ancient Egyptian mastery of idealised portraiture. The progression from rough study to divine image captures the transformative journey of both sculpture and subject. Nefertiti; whose name means “The Beautiful One Has Come“, emerges not just from stone, but from artistic imagination, royal ideology, and the reverent hands of Thutmose and his atelier.

This visual edit invites viewers to appreciate the stages of craftsmanship involved in creating such regal beauty. It also lends further credence to the theory that this lesser-known head is indeed an early representation of Nefertiti herself, sculpted during the reign of her enigmatic husband, Akhenaten, in the mid-14th century B.C (reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353–1336 or 1351–1334 B.C.).

Summary:

Plaster heads (stucco) of Akhenaten & Nefertiti
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353–1336 or 1351–1334 B.C.
From the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, Tel el-Amarna.
Ägyptisches Museum. ÄM 21348. ÄM 21349