Plaster head of Akhenaten

This plaster head of king Akhenaten was discovered within the remnants of the studio of the sculptor Thutmose at Tel el-Amarna (House P 47.02, Room 19).

House P 47.02, Room 19, is the same location where the famous painted limestone bust was also discovered. Photographs of both the painted bust of Nefertiti and this plaster head of Akhenaten were photographed at excavation on the 6th December, 1912.

The head is made of plaster (stucco) and is 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).

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 House P 47.1-3); 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.

Summary:

Plaster head (stucco) of Akhenaten
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353–1336 or 1351–1334 B.C.
From the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose (House P 47.02, Room 19), Tel el-Amarna.
Ägyptisches Museum. ÄM 21351