On 6th December 1912, at the ancient site of Tell el-Amarna in Egypt, a team led by German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt made a remarkable discovery: they uncovered a workshop once belonging to Thutmose—more formally known as ‘The King’s Favorite and Master of Works, the Sculptor Thutmose’—in which was found the Nefertiti Bust, an extraordinary artefact crafted from limestone and stucco dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten. This exquisite piece, portraying the revered Queen Nefertiti, was soon taken to Germany where it lives to this day at the Neues Museum in Berlin, much to the chagrin of Egypt. The following entry comes from the excavation diary kept by Borchardt, written on that momentous day.

The Diary Entry

Life-sized painted bust of the queen, 47cm high. With the blue wig cut straight on top, and garlanded by a ribbon half-way up. Colours look freshly painted. Really wonderful work. No use describing it, you have to see it. Counterpart to the bust of the king from p. 39. Only the ears and part of the right side of the wig damaged.

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Further Reading

This famous diary entry has been reprinted in various places over the years, online and off, including the website of the Berlin museum in which the bust now lives.

Also…

• Nefertiti Bust at Wikipedia
• Ludwig Borchardt at Wikipedia
• Discovery and Partage explained (Egyptian Museum of Berlin)