Life-size quartzite head of Nefertiti

This life-size quartzite head of Nefertiti was discovered within the remains of the workshop of the Ancient Egyptian sculptor Thutmose at Amarna. Although unmarked, the resemblance to other portraits of Nefertiti identify her clearly.

The head is made of quartzite, but has yet to be sanded to create a smooth finish. The face still has the artist’s outlines to indicate where to work on the piece. It is more than likely that the eyes were to be inlaid, and the face would have been painted eventually.

The head, like many Amarna period statues from the workshop of Thutmose, have a rectangular stand upon the head, indicating that a crown would eventually be fitted to the piece. It is likely this head would be part of a life-size statue of Nefertiti.

Nefertiti was an ancient Egyptian queen, most famous for her beauty and her powerful role during a transformative period in Egyptian history. She lived around 1370–1330 BC and was the Great Royal Wife of King Akhenaten, with whom she ruled during the 18th Dynasty. She is most renowned for her association with the religious revolution that Akhenaten instituted, where they introduced the worship of a single god, the sun disk Aten, replacing the traditional polytheistic pantheon.

New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, Amarna Period, reign of Akhenaten. ca. 1353-1336 BC. From Tell el-Amarna. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Berlin. ÄM 21220