Item Size:  10" High     Type:  Statue on Base

Material:  Casting Stone, with Black Basalt Finish, and Marble Base

Original:  18th Dynasty, circa 1350 B.C.E.

Current Location of Original:  Dahlem Museum, Berlin

Nefertiti means "the beautiful one is come." The bust of painted limestone was found by German archaeologist and researcher Ludwig Borchardt in 1912 at Tell-El-Amarna, the new name for ancient Akhetaten, the capital in Middle Egypt. Akhetaten had been created and named for Nefertiti’s husband, King Akhetaten, who ruled from circa 1353 to circa 1336 B.C.E. This special statue was discovered in what used to be the workshop of the famed sculptor, Thutmose, and was later transferred to Berlin under unclear circumstances. Nefertiti was the daughter of a high dignitary in Pharaoh's court. While she was an influential Queen, she is principally remembered for her personal beauty and this lovely work that was carved so many centuries ago. Details of her life are veiled by the mists of time, but one of her six daughters was Ankhesenamun, who became Tutankhamun's wife. Nefertiti's tomb has never been discovered.