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Primary sourceSculpturec. 1345 BC

Bust of Queen Nefertiti

Thutmose · c. 1345 BC

A painted limestone bust of Nefertiti made in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, now one of the most famous images of the ancient world.

This workshop bust fixed the lasting image of Nefertiti as Great Royal Wife and became an icon of ancient beauty.

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Painted limestone bust of an Egyptian queen wearing a tall blue crown with a red and green band and a gold-colored brow band. The eyes are inlaid with dark outlines, and the bust rests on a dark base against a black background.
Thutmose, Bust of Queen Nefertiti, c. 1345 BC. Neues Museum, Berlin.

About this source

What it is

This painted limestone bust shows Queen Nefertiti wearing her flat-topped blue crown. It was made around 1345 BC in the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose at Amarna, Egypt, where it was found in 1912 by a German archaeological team led by Ludwig Borchardt. It is now held at the Neues Museum in Berlin.

Why it matters

The bust fixed the image of Nefertiti, Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, as an icon of royal beauty, and its careful symmetry shows the idealised style of Amarna-period art. It is also at the centre of a long dispute between Egypt and Germany over its removal, raising questions about museums, colonialism and who owns the past.

Look closer

  • What does the crown and the painted detail tell you about how royalty wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a workshop model like this differ from a finished royal portrait?
  • Why do you think Egypt and Germany still disagree about where this bust should be?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Queen Nefereti on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Black-and-white photograph of a painted bust of a woman with a tall flat-topped crown, side-facing, on a dark rectangular pedestal set on a pale plinth. The collar has striped and patterned bands.Sculpture

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Figure of Nefertiti

Close-up detail of an Amarna limestone relief. A seated woman wearing a tall flat-topped crown is at right, with a sun disc and rays above. At left, a smaller figure with a child's head is seated near her, and carved hieroglyphs fill the background.Sculpture

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Akhenaten and His Family

c. 1352 BC

Photo of a curved, blue glazed ceramic fragment with white body edge, covered in raised concentric ring motifs with dots. Two holes pierce the piece near its center, with a scale bar along the bottom.Sculpture

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Relief Fragment Showing the Blue Crown of Nefertiti

Black-and-white line drawing of columns of Egyptian hieroglyphic text arranged in vertical lines, with cartouches visible, copied from a wall inscription. This is a facsimile of the Great Hymn to the Aten.Document

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Great Hymn to the Aten

Akhenaten · c. 1350 BC

Photo of a pale sandstone relief plaque showing two profile heads facing each other: an Egyptian ruler with a tall crown on the left and a figure with a headdress on the right. Both have carved eyes, ears, and chins. Mounted on a gray background with small white supports.Sculpture

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Wilbour Plaque

c. 1352-1336 BC

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