Artwork of the Week
Here is another throwback "Artwork of the Week" post. Yes, this post was originally posted in January, but since no one read my blog back then, I am refreshing it for this week! The topic presented below might be my favorite thing to to discuss in ancient art history. Enjoy! :)
This week's featured artwork is the iconic Bust of Nefertiti. How I decided on this piece is actually hilarious.
At the risk of joining in on a conversation I could care less about, the god-awful Justin Bieber was arrested for being a weirdo or something like that earlier this year... and that was all anyone can talk about on social media (and here I am perpetuating it, sigh). Well, I shamefully clicked on an article about it and saw his mugshots, which actually turned into something productive! I saw this gem:
Apart from that obnoxiously misguided smile on the left, the more solemn Biebz on the right reminded me of the ultra-cool former Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Good for him for being culturally linked to something worthwhile! I might be the only one seeing it though. Scroll up again and compare if you'd like.
Well, let's get back to the real person of interest, shall we? The 3,300-year-old painted limestone bust of Nefertiti has been hailed for its construction (the balance between the ornate head and delicate neck is crazy!) and as an icon of beauty. The bust is believed to have been created in 1345 BCE by Akhenaten's official court sculptor Thutmose. Akhenaten himself was a crazy guy, I've written multiple papers about his rule and all the uproar he caused for things like being monotheistic in a completely polytheistic Egypt (to just name one thing). Now, there isn't a whole lot out there about Nefertiti, yet her art depictions left a huge mark on the art historical world. There are quite a few depictions of her, some argue there are more depictions of her than of her Pharaoh husband, which is really interesting to historians. Here are some more depictions of the Great Royal Wife:
The image of Nerfertiti with Akhenaten and their children is particularly interesting to me. It is not often (if ever!) that you see a royal depiction of an everyday moment. The Royal couple is sitting casually, bouncing and kissing their children in a loving scene. This was one of the instances where Akhenaten (and his family) seemed rather radical to Egyptians, who were used to seeing the Royal couples like this:
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| Sculpture of King Mankaure and Queen Khamerernebty II |
The more rigid and regal portrait of the earlier Royal couple really clashes with the causal, intimate portrait of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Look at the way they sit, kind of slouching, and then look at Makaure who stands so rigid and erect! Granted, the more traditional portrait of Mankaure was from the Fourth Dynasty and Akhenaten was was much later in the 18th Dynasty, so times had changed. And the times really changed when Akhenaten came along and decided to be all new wave. Look at one of his official portrait sculptures:
Well this has kind of snowballed into more than just one Artwork of the Week, but I don't care! From Bieber to Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. Who woulda made those connections? This gal, apparently.
The bust of Nefertiti is a beautiful sculpture by any standards, and it is a key piece of later-dynasty Egyptian history. The sculpture is a crowning feature of Egyptian Museum of Berlin - which has caused its fair share of drama in the past, as well, what with all the property disputes with Egypt and whatnot. The construction, color, and realistic facial proportions give this bust wonderful aesthetics, while the history engulfs you and keeps you searching for more! I could write pages and pages about this, (oh wait! I have) but I will conclude this post on that note. :)
