Unfinished Head of Queen Nefertiti
The unfinished brown quartzite head of Queen Nefertiti, the beautiful wife of King Akhenaten was part of a composite statue. Each element was sculpted separately to be later assembled into one statue. As it remained unfinished, the head retained the guiding lines of the sculptor: the eyebrows were marked with brown and the eyes with black. Like the rest of Akhenaten’s family, the head portrayed the queen according to the Amarna style of art.
Nefertiti’s oval face reflected the sensibility and grace of a woman of great spirit. The eyebrows were elongated naturally towards the temples, projecting supercilious arches and cheekbones. The eyes were half-dimmed by the slightly downcast eyelids. The shape of her mouth hinted a mysterious quality. All of these features, which were rendered with harmonious proportions, created a beautiful portrait of the queen.
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna Period, reign of Akhenaten, ca. 1353-1336 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 59286
Photo: Kenneth Garrett