Engraved on a stela found at Amarna, Egypt, this

glowing passage describes Nefertiti, the great

royal wife of Amenhotep IV—better known by

the name he adopted later in life—Akhenaten.

Her husband radically changed Egypt, trans-

forming its polytheistic state religion to the

worship of one deity, the solar disk Aten. He

also moved the Egyptian capital to a new city

he built named Akhetaten, meaning “horizon

of the god Aten.”

Akhenaten’s revolution was short-lived:

Egypt would return to its old faith after his reign.

His successors tried to erase his name and legacy.

His capital was abandoned, and artworks fea-

turing his likeness and name—and that of his

family, including Nefertiti—were defaced. Their

legacy would stay buried for millennia.

Although the description of Queen Nefer-

titi is no doubt embellished, the claim that she

was beautiful, “perfect of appearance,” seems to

be borne out by the depictions of her that have

survived to today. One work of art in particu-

lar has become emblematic of female beauty.

After more than three millennia in obscurity,

its discovery, in the early 20th century, brought

Nefertiti world renown.

Famous Face

Nefertiti’s glory resurfaced on December 6, 1912,

when German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt

uncovered her now iconic bust among the

ruins at Amarna. Considered the most stunning

depiction of a woman from the ancient world,

and perhaps the most famous relic of antiquity,

the bust seems the material embodiment of the

queen’s name, which means “the beautiful one

has come.”

Borchardt discovered the bust while exca-

vating inside the workshop of a court sculptor.

The masterpiece had been extraordinarily well

preserved during its 3,000-year burial. As Bor-

chardt wrote in his excavation diary: “Colors as if

paint was just applied. Work absolutely excep-

tional. Description is useless, must be seen.” The

high cheekbones, slender neck, and the vivid

expression of a woman who seems almost to

live and breathe has become an icon of beauty

and Egyptian artistry.

T

he leading woman of all the nobles, great in the pal-

ace, perfect of appearance, beautiful in the double

plume, the mistress of joy who is united with fa-

vour, whose voice people rejoice to hear, great wife

of the king, his beloved, the great mistress of the two lands—

Neferneferuaten, Nefertiti, granted life for ever, and for eternity!”

LIFE OF

THE

QUEEN

circa 1353 b.c.

Amenhotep III dies, and

his long, prosperous reign

comes to an end. His son,

Amenhotep IV, becomes

pharaoh.

circa 1349 b.c.

Nefertiti, one of

Amenhotep IV’s wives,

becomes his great royal

wife. The couple will have

six daughters.

PRESENTATION

OF THE NEFERTITI

BUST. AMARNA, 1912.

EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

AND PAPYRUS

COLLECTION, NEUES

MUSEUM, BERLIN

BPK/SCALA, FLORENCE