Unfinished Portrait of Nefertiti
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Object Label
Artistic style drastically changed during the Amarna Period. Because artists had to quickly adapt to the new style, they left behind an unprecedented number of trial pieces and sculptor’s models. Such unfinished works reveal the artistic process of ancient sculptors.
The initial sketch in black ink outlines Nefertiti’s tall crown, and indicates her facial features and long neck with neck folds. The artist began sculpting the relief by carving away stone around Nefertiti’s profile and marking out the eyes, lips, and ear.
Caption
Unfinished Portrait of Nefertiti, ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 5 7/16 × 5 1/4 in. (13.8 × 13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Egypt Exploration Society, 33.686. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.33.686_view01.jpg)
Title
Unfinished Portrait of Nefertiti
Date
ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E
Dynasty
late Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Geography
Place excavated: Tell el-Amarna, Egypt
Medium
Limestone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
5 7/16 × 5 1/4 in. (13.8 × 13.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Egypt Exploration Society
Accession Number
33.686
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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