The Bust Of Nefertiti — A Story of Sculpture
The Bust of Nefertiti — Thutmose, 1345 BC
Rediscovered in 1913, The Bust of Nefertiti is housed in the Neues Museum in Berlin. Believed to have been made by Thutmose in 1345 BC, the sculpture was rediscovered in 1913 in what Anthropologists believe to have been Thutmose’s workshop. Thutmose the Sculptor is thought to have been the official court sculptor of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, the husband of Nefertiti. Akhenaten overhauled Ancient Egyptian religion and politics to revolve around the worship of Aten, the sun god.
Since its rediscovery, The Bust of Nefertiti has inspired the image of feminine beauty and power, with her warm smile (for a sculpture) and through her commanding gaze and sharp features. The sculpture is made of painted limestone and is missing the left iris, some claim that Nefertiti developed an ophthalmic infection and lost her left eye, but other sculptures have both of her eyes intact, which leads Anthropologists to conclude that the left iris was more likely to have been lost in the ruins of Thutmose’s workshop. I believe that this knowledge adds to the richness of this sculpture’s history, despite the great losses and struggles of the Egyptian Kingdom, the culture remains strong and beautiful, and this sculpture is a testament to its strength. Although that may not be what Thutmose intended to portray while crafting The Bust of Nefertiti, I feel that the journey that a work of art takes between its creation and its viewing adds many dimensions to the work of art in question, especially when it tells a story, such as the missing iris or the broken ear. Not to say that damage improves art, but it gives art a life of its own with a story to be told long after the death of the creator, which I believe is what any artist would want; for their creation to be an extension of themself left as a gift to the world. For this reason, I find sculpture to be one of the most interesting forms of art, not because it occupies three dimensions, but because its history can add to its narrative, and give it a form of historical multidimensionality.
