Early Image of Nefertiti
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Object Label
Nefertiti raises her arm in an attitude of prayer or offering. Originally the god Aten, as the sun disk, appeared above her. The two tiny hands in front of the queen’s face belong to streams of light coming from the Aten. One of these hands holds an ankh (the hieroglyph for “life”) to Nefertiti’s nose, so that she can receive from the Aten the “breath of life,” given to the faithful.
Caption
Early Image of Nefertiti, ca. 1352–1347 B.C.E.. Sandstone, pigment, 6 11/16 x 10 1/4 x 1 3/16 in. (17 x 26 x 3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 64.199.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.64.199.2_wwg7.jpg)
Title
Early Image of Nefertiti
Date
ca. 1352–1347 B.C.E.
Dynasty
late Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom, Amarna Period
Geography
Place made: Thebes (Karnak), Egypt
Medium
Sandstone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
6 11/16 x 10 1/4 x 1 3/16 in. (17 x 26 x 3 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
64.199.2
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.
Frequent Art Questions
I see this loop in many egyptian art pieces, what does it signify?
That is what's known as an ankh. It's a hieroglyph that can be used both as a letter and to mean "life." The shape is based on a sandal strap.
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