The Discovery of the Bust of Nefertiti
Ever
since the discovery of the bust of Nefertiti, this beautiful limestone
portrait has been regarded as one of the greatest art masterpieces
in the world. It was found in the atelier of the famed ancient Egyptian
sculptor Thutmose at Tel
el Amarna, by the German expedition of 1912. Chief archaeologist
Ludwig Borchard was so awed by its stunning beauty, that he devised
a scheme to smuggle the piece out of Egypt.
Every archaeological discovery had in those days to be brought before the Egyptian Antiquities Authority for inventory and distribution between Egypt and the archaeological expedition. This committee supervised the split between the objects that stayed in Egypt and those that were allowed to leave the country.
