The Bust of Nefertiti
5/25/20261 hr 17 min
It's one of the most recognisable artworks of the ancient world, but who was Queen Nefertiti? And how did she and her consort, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, revolutionise the art and religion of Ancient Egypt? Join Alastair and James as they explore the mesmerisingly beautiful Bust of Nefertiti. Artworks in this episode include: The Bust of Nefertiti, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky, 1391-53 BCE, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Statue of Amenhotep III, 1391-53 BCE, The British Museum, London Colossal Statue of Amenhotep IV, 1350-33 BCE, The Egyptian Museum, Cairo Bust of Akhenaten, 1350-33 BCE, Luxor Museum, Luxor Akhenaten, Nefertiti and three of their daughters under the Aten, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Bust of Akhenaten, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Plaster Head of an Older Woman, c.1353-36 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Discovery of Nefertiti 00:02:14 The Archaeological Dig at Amarna 00:06:14 Ancient Egyptian Art and Society 00:12:50 Amenhotep IV Comes to Power 00:16:51 The Religious Revolution 00:23:31 A New Artistic Style 00:34:35 The New Capital City 00:46:46 The Bust of Nefertiti 00:57:35 Authenticity Debates 01:04:17 The End of the Amarna Period 01:08:22 The Controversial Journey to Berlin 01:13:37 Modern Legacy
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First 90 secondsAlastair Sooke· Host0:00
[gentle music] Welcome to Stories of Art. I am Alastair Sook. And I'm James Fox. Writing in his excavation diary toward the end of 1912, the German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt recorded a stunning archeological discovery with these words: "Life-size painted bust of the queen, 47 centimeters high. Colors as if paint was just applied. Work absolutely exceptional. Description is useless. Must be seen." [laughs] Now, it's not gonna surprise you, James. I take exception to Borchardt's suggestion that description is useless because on this podcast, that is what we do. Description is our specialty. However, I kind of get why on that occasion, that momentous day, words failed him because Borchardt had encountered this lifelike painted portrait bust of an ancient Egyptian queen with a single inlaid eye and a, and a tall, top-heavy beribboned blue crown that I always think seems to sprout from a cranium a bit like a, a stretched ice cream cup. And this had lain forgotten beneath Egypt's sands for more than three millennia. So of course, I'm referring to the painted bust of Nefertiti, the most famous piece of Egyptian sculpture in the world. It's now, it's now a global icon of timeless beauty. It's on a par perhaps with Leonardo's Mona Lisa. It's displayed today in a grand museum in Berlin.