Collection
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Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Nefertiti

ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E.

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

Occasionally we can identify one of the members of the Amarna royal family by a unique characteristic. The woman on this column drum has a tall, flat-topped crown worn exclusively by Nefertiti. This same headdress appears on the famous bust of the queen that is in the Berlin Museum.

Caption

Nefertiti, ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 9 1/4 × 15 × 1 3/4 in. (23.5 × 38.1 × 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 71.89. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Nefertiti

Date

ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 18

Period

New Kingdom, Amarna Period

Geography

Possible place made: Tell el-Amarna, Egypt

Medium

Limestone, pigment

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

9 1/4 × 15 × 1 3/4 in. (23.5 × 38.1 × 4.4 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

71.89

Frequent Art Questions

  • Can you give me more information on the relief, please?

    Sure! The way her face is carved here is characteristic of the way people were shown in the Amarna period, during her husband, Akhenaten's reign. You'll also notice her famous angular crown with the uraeus cobra on the front.
    She is holding up an offering of flowers to the Aten, the primary god worshipped during the Amarna period. The hands you see reaching for the offering can be understood as arms of the Aten or sundisk. The hands are carved at the end of lines representing rays from the sun.
    Thanks!
    You're welcome! Be sure to take a look at the other works in our Egyptian galleries. Notice the differences between these Amarna period images and ones from before and after.

Have information?

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bkmcollections@brooklynmuseum.org.