Bust Of Nefertiti Analysis

History:

The Bust of Nefertiti, a sculpture of Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, was created around 1340 BC by the royal sculptor Thutmose in the ancient city of Achet-Aton, now called Amarna. German excavators found it on December 6, 1912 buried in the workshop of the sculptor along with many other model heads. The Nefertiti Bust is believed by many to be a symbol of pure beauty because after 3300 years the model head has maintained its original color and shape.
After being found in 1912 by German archeologist Ludwig Borchardt, it was given to Jaques Simon, who had funded the expedition for Bordchart's team. He kept it on display in his home for 11 years. It wasn't until 1923 when it was put on display in Berlin, Germany. During World War II it

was hidden in a salt mine to be protected from bombs. It now rests in Berlin's Neues Museum.

Purpose:
Queen Nefertiti was a model for the royal sculptor Thutmose. The original bust was often used as a model for other artists creating painted or sculpted portraits. The purpose of making a bust sculpture is to create a life sized portrait of someone. Today, the purpose of the Nefertiti Bust is to be viewed in museums as an archaeological discovery. It is marveled over as an icon of beauty and the queen was named on of the most beautiful woman in the world.

Design:
The Bust of Nefertiti is a 44 lb life sized portrait of Queen Nefertiti of Egypt. It is a limestone bust colored with modeled gypsum, which has maintained its color after thousands of years. The eye was inlayed with crystal and black wax, although the second eye was never finished. A blue, flat topped crown -only seen on this Egyptian Queen- rests on her head. There is an interesting ribbon design surrounding her crown. Her facial features are all reasons why she remains one of our highest representations of beauty; any woman would envy them. The only damage so far to the sculpture is the partially broken left ear. But this beauty is only skin deep; modern day CT scans reveal that underneath the beautiful face of the queen, there are wrinkles and bumps.