http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090505/wl_mideast_afp/entertainmentarthistoryegyptgermany
Apparently the archeologist who originally "found" it was actually making a test piece. He was trying out old egyptian pigments and wanted a piece that showed Nefertiti with a necklace that she wore. Then a German prince saw it, thought it was original, and the archeologist couldn't bring himself to say it wasn't real.
Not only that, but at the place that it was found it was never even catalogued. Which is a pretty big deal. I mean what archeologist would find something that stunning and not even write it down as a random find of the day? Not only that, but the piece was left in the dig sponser's sitting room for 10 years. Just hanging out next to the guy while he drank his morning tea. The first time the thing was ever written about was 11 years after it was found. Also there's a claim that the left eye was never even fashioned to have an eye in the first place.
I'm a little confused as to how, with all these bits of information, it wasn't scrutinized more closely. Weird. Sucks. I really liked that piece. I always thought it was really cool. Now it's only kind of cool... :-(
At the same time I see images like this:
So maybe the whole "things resembling art nouveau" or whatever is just coincidence. I dunno. It's not confirmed that it's a fake (apparently it can't be?), but things are looking more and more likely. I mean a lot of weird stuff happened in Egyptian art during the Amarna period that I really liked, so it's not completely out of the question that this would be so different, but it is worth thinking about.
2 comments:
why is it only 'kinda cool' now? the work was always admired for its aesthetics, those haven't changed. why does the age make it that much more valuable? (this is a really big question for museums and art galleries right now - authenticity is more important, but why it that what shapes your view of an object?)
honestly, i think that the more you compare this bust to other Armarna sculptures in the round, it becomes apparent its modern
Just not as cool. Something that looks like that made thousands of years ago adds coolness. I can't help it, that's just how it works. It's not that I don't like it, I like it, it's just that it was extra cool when something so styled and sleek was made before those new sleek styles were in.
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