Torso of Queen Nefertiti
This exquisitely modelled torso, carved in warm red quartzite, preserves the rounded grace of a woman’s body; soft curves of hip and thigh, a full pubic mound, and the clinging folds of a pleated linen dress. The figure’s head, lower legs, right arm, and left hand are lost, yet what remains still breathes with poise and vitality.
The sensual refinement of the modelling, the suggestion of rippling fabric over living flesh, and the use of royal quartzite all point toward the Amarna court and the hand of sculptors who served Nefertiti. The queen’s statues are renowned for this subtle blend of divinity and humanity: ideal beauty made tenderly real.
Such a figure would once have stood within a shrine or palace niche, embodying the queen’s role as living goddess, consort of Akhenaten, and earthly manifestation of the radiant Aten. Even in fragmentary form, her presence endures; the eternal silhouette of grace, carved from sunlight turned to stone.
The piece was acquired by the Louvre in the 19th century, entering the collection through the antiquities trade rather than a documented excavation. t was reportedly found at Tell el-Amarna, the royal city built by Akhenaten in Middle Egypt, but this attribution is unverified and based on stylistic grounds rather than excavation records.
Because the torso is carved from fine red quartzite, a material closely associated with royal and divine statuary of the Amarna court, it almost certainly originated from a palatial or temple context at Amarna, possibly from a shrine of the royal family or an Aten sanctuary.
The sculptural style; rounded abdomen, broad hips, clinging pleated dress, and naturalistic flesh modelling, matches other securely provenanced works from Amarna, such as those found in the workshops of the sculptor Thutmose (where the famous Nefertiti bust was discovered).
“Nefertiti keeps her well-defined waist but develops a rounded abdomen, large hips, jodhpur-like thighs and pronounced buttocks which remind us of the fact that she has borne at least six children. Her stomach is often highlighted by a single curved line at the base of the abdomen just above the pubic mound. Nefertiti’s breasts received little attention; they were not considered her most important attribute.
Nefertiti’s usual garment, a transparent, pleated linen robe tied with a sash worn either under the bust or around the waist, allows us a clear view of her body.
Indeed, the dress is frequently shown with the front completely open so that the queen’s body is displayed without any obvious form of undergarment. Alternatively, Nefertiti dons a dress so fine and so close-fitting that her entire form can be seen through the folds.
It is highly unlikely that Nefertiti habitually wore such revealing and uncomfortable garments. Artistic convention had always required that the female form should be well-defined…”
― Nefertiti: Egypt’s Sun Queen, by Joyce Tyldesley (#aff)
Summary:
Red Quartzite Figure of Nefertiti
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1353-1336 B.C.
Red quartzite, height: 29 cm.
Now in the Musée du Louvre. E 25409
