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Primary sourceSculpturec. 1352-1336 BC

Wilbour Plaque

c. 1352-1336 BC

A sunk-relief sandstone plaque showing profile heads of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, likely used as a sculptor's reference piece.

This sculptor's trial piece carries one of the standard profile images of Nefertiti used to train artists.

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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.
The Wilbour Plaque, c. 1352-1336 BC. Brooklyn Museum, New York.

About this source

What it is

This sandstone plaque from the Amarna period, carved in sunk relief, shows two profile heads facing each other: Nefertiti wearing the cap crown and most likely Akhenaten wearing the khat headdress. It is named after the American Egyptologist Charles Wilbour, who acquired it in Egypt in 1881, and is now held at the Brooklyn Museum.

Why it matters

The plaque is believed to have been a reference piece used by sculptors to copy royal features correctly, giving a rare glimpse into how royal portraits of Akhenaten and Nefertiti were designed and taught in workshops of the time.

Look closer

  • Why might sculptors have needed a model like this to copy from?
  • What differences can you see between the two profiles, and what might that suggest about how each figure was meant to be shown?
  • What does this object tell you about how royal images were controlled and standardised?

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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Bust of Queen Nefertiti

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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

Primary source

Akhenaten and His Family

c. 1352 BC

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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

Primary source

Great Hymn to the Aten

Akhenaten · c. 1350 BC

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