"The placard accompanying this sculpture indicates that it is a 1920s replica of an original held at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
It is a copy of perhaps the most famous and certainly the most copied sculpture from ancient Egypt. The original sculpture was found in the workshop of the supposed artist Thutmose.
The Wikipedia page for Nefertiti (
visit link) has a photo of the original and informs us:
"Neferneferuaten Nefertiti ... (ca. 1370 BC – ca. 1330 BC) was the Great Royal Wife (chief consort) of Akhenaten, an Egyptian Pharaoh. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they worshiped one god only, Aten, or the sun disc. Akhenaten and Nefertiti were responsible for the creation of a whole new religion which changed the ways of religion within Egypt. With her husband, she reigned at what was arguably the wealthiest period of Ancient Egyptian history. Some scholars believe that Nefertiti ruled briefly as Smenkhare after her husband's death and before the accession of Tutankhamun, although this identification is a matter of ongoing debate.
Nefertiti had many titles including Hereditary Princess (iryt-p`t); Great of Praises (wrt-hzwt); Lady of Grace (nbt-im3t), Sweet of Love (bnrt-mrwt); Lady of The Two Lands (nbt-t3wy); Main King’s Wife, his beloved (hmt-niswt-‘3t meryt.f); Great King’s Wife, his beloved (hmt-niswt-wrt meryt.f), Lady of all Women (hnwt-hmwt-nbwt); and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt (hnwt-Shm’w-mhw).
She was made famous by her bust, now in Berlin's Neues Museum, shown to the right. The bust is one of the most copied works of ancient Egypt. It was attributed to the sculptor Thutmose, and it was found in his workshop. The bust is notable for exemplifying the understanding Ancient Egyptians had regarding realistic facial proportions."
As for the asteroid, Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"3199 Nefertiti (1982 RA) is a near-Earth Amor asteroid discovered on September 13, 1982 by husband and wife team Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Palomar. It was named after the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, mother-in-law of Tutankhamun.
Discovery and designation
Discovered by Carolyn S. Shoemaker and Eugene Shoemaker
Discovery site Palomar
Discovery date September 13, 1982
Designations
MPC designation 3199
Named after
Nefertiti
Alternative names
1982 RA
Orbital characteristics
Epoch May 14, 2008
Aphelion 2.021196194723918
Perihelion 1.127651090815613
Eccentricity .2837689550750008
Orbital period
721.5739251676226
Mean anomaly
325.6857225570005
Inclination 32.96910057227523
Longitude of ascending node
340.0453030414031
Argument of perihelion
53.36599166787657
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 2.2 km
Sidereal rotation period
3.021 h
Geometric albedo
0.42
Spectral type
S or Sq
Absolute magnitude (H)
14.84"