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Nefertiti and Her Daughter

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Amarna Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Egyptian art made in the centuries before Akhenaten came to the throne gives few clues to the lives or feelings of members of the royal family. Artisans working in the Amarna Period, however, began representing scenes of intimacy between the king, the queen, and their six daughters. This relief, for example, shows Nefertiti kissing one of her daughters full on the lips.

The relief is also noteworthy for the evidence it provides of the violence directed at images of Nefertiti after her death. Although the princess's image has not been touched, the queen's face has been badly damaged.

MEDIUM Limestone, pigment
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
DATES ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E.
DYNASTY late Dynasty 18
PERIOD New Kingdom, Amarna Period
DIMENSIONS 8 3/4 x 1 5/16 x 17 1/2 in. (22.2 x 3.4 x 44.5 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 60.197.8
CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE Tell el-Amarna, Egypt; probably reused inside the pylon of Ramsses II at Hermopolis Magna, Egypt; 1939, excavated inside the pylon of Ramesses II by the German expedition to Hermopolis, Egypt; between 1939 and 1960, provenance not yet documented; 1960, acquired by Michel Abemayor of New York, NY; 1960, purchased from Michel Abemayor by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Limestone relief. In sunk relief, at left Nefertiti, preserved head and neck, kissing a princess whose arm is extended around her mother. At right, three mutilated columns of text and above, one ray of the Aten holding an ankh. Flesh folds indicated on necks of both figures. Queen wears braided wig with diadem. The princess wears long side-lock and earrings. “The princess, of his body, his beloved Merit-Aton”. Condition: Broken lengthwise into two pieces. Ancient pigment: all blue in inscription at right, on the queen's wig and on hair lock of princess. Ancient red pigment on ribbon of queen's wig, on area around earring, on center of neck, between lips, and chin of the two faces, on forehead of princess, on hand of Aten and the ankh.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Amarna Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
CAPTION Nefertiti and Her Daughter, ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 8 3/4 x 1 5/16 x 17 1/2 in. (22.2 x 3.4 x 44.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 60.197.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 60.197.8_PS1.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 60.197.8_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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