Sculptor's Trial Piece of Nefertiti

The style of art changed drastically at the beginning of the Amarna period, and both students and seasoned sculptors had to quickly adapt their skills. They practiced on pieces of limestone like this one.

The lightly incised image of Nefertiti is in the more delicate style of late Amarna art. Nefertiti’s face almost completely lacks modeling, and her tall crown is abruptly cut off at the top, suggesting that the image was not meant to be part of a larger scene but rather served as a sculptor’s trial piece.