NEUES MUSEUM RECEIVES 3,300 YEAR OLD BUST OF NEFERTITI

A FAMOUS 3,300 YEAR OLD BUST OF THE EGYPTIAN QUEEN NEFERTITI HAS BEEN MOVED TO ITS NEW PERMANENT HOME AT BERLIN'S RESTORED NEUES MUSEUM. THE CITY'S MUSEUM AUTHORITY SAID IN A RECENT STATEMENT THAT OFFICIALS MOVED NEFERTITI 'WITH THE GREATEST CARE' ON SUNDAY FROM THE ADJACENT ALTES MUSEUM, HER TEMPORARY HOME IN RECENT YEARS. THE PLASTER AND LIMESTONE BUST WILL GO ON VIEW TO THE PUBLIC 17.OCTOBER WHEN THE NEUS MUSEUM REOPENS. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN RESTORED PAINSTAKINGLY AFTER LYING UNUSED SINCE WORLD WAR II, WHEN BOMB DAMAGE RUINED MUCH OF IT. NEFERTITI FIRST WENT ON SHOW AT THE NEUES MUSEUM, ONE OF FIVE BUILDINGS THAT MAKES UP BERLIN'S NEOCLASSICAL MUSEUM ISLAND, BEFORE THE WAR. NEFERTITI WAS THE GREAT ROYAL WIFE OF THE EGYPTIAN PHARAOH AKHENATEN. NEFERTITI AND HER HUSBAND WERE KNOWN FOR CHANGING EGYPT'S RELIGION FROM A POLYTHEISTIC RELIGION TO A HENOTHEISTIC RELIGION. THEY REVERED ONLY ONE GOD, ATEN, THE SUN DISC. SHE WAS MADE FAMOUS BY HER BUST, NOW IN THE ALTES MUSEUM. 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 ITSELF IS NOTABLE FOR EXEMPLIFYING THE UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT EGYPTIANS HAD REGARDING REALISTIC FACIAL PROPORTIONS. SOME SCHOLARS BELIEVE THAT THE NEFERTITI RULED BRIEFLY AFTER HER HUSBAND'S DEATH AND BEFORE THE ACCESSION OF TUTANKHAMEN, ALTHOUGH THIS IDENTIFICATION IS A MATTER OF ONGOING DEBATE.