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A review by shanaqui
Nefertiti's Face: The Creation of an Icon by Joyce Tyldesley
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Joyce Tyldesley's Nefertiti's Face tackles not (as I think some other readers have hoped) who Nefertiti was, where she came from, what she might have been like, and how she died -- though some of that is discussed as well -- but the specifics of the famous limestone and gypsum plaster bust of her, currently on display in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. It accepts the attribution to the artisan Thutmose (or at least to his workshop in Amarna), and has a guess at aspects of the life of Thutmose and his workmen as well as at the purpose and meaning of the bust.
That does of course involve some contextualisation for people who might be coming to this fresh, so it includes a chapter about Akhenaten and the establishment of Amarna. Tyldesley rather squashes the hope that Nefertiti was equal to Akhenaten in some way, pointing out her position in the art is usually subordinate to his, and her exceptional actions like smiting enemies are always in the context of his absence -- disappointing, but a good analysis.
Obviously there's always the conjectures about where her tomb might lay (or have lain), and about who might've been related to whom and how among the Amarna family.
There is also inevitably discussion about repatriation, which Tyldesley seems somewhat against (claiming that the exhibition of the bust in Berlin benefits Cairo by encouraging people in their love of Egyptian archaeology, and thus boosting tourism). Ho-hum.
Overall, I found this one enjoyable, though obviously aimed at a popular audience. It does have footnotes and a fairly detailed bibliography; always a good sign.
That does of course involve some contextualisation for people who might be coming to this fresh, so it includes a chapter about Akhenaten and the establishment of Amarna. Tyldesley rather squashes the hope that Nefertiti was equal to Akhenaten in some way, pointing out her position in the art is usually subordinate to his, and her exceptional actions like smiting enemies are always in the context of his absence -- disappointing, but a good analysis.
Obviously there's always the conjectures about where her tomb might lay (or have lain), and about who might've been related to whom and how among the Amarna family.
There is also inevitably discussion about repatriation, which Tyldesley seems somewhat against (claiming that the exhibition of the bust in Berlin benefits Cairo by encouraging people in their love of Egyptian archaeology, and thus boosting tourism). Ho-hum.
Overall, I found this one enjoyable, though obviously aimed at a popular audience. It does have footnotes and a fairly detailed bibliography; always a good sign.