Bust of King Tutankhamun.

Dynasty 18.

Ca. 1351-1334 BC.

From House P 49.6, room 6.

Amarna.

Limestone.

Gift of James Simon, 1920.

Inv.nr. 20494.

D.O.G. excavation, 1911/1912.

Neues Museum, Berlin.


This much-discussed bust with red and black painting shows a king of the late Amarna period as youth. His status is clearly indicated by the royal headscarf. The identity of the subject, however, remains uncertain, since candidates include not just Akhenaten and Tutankhamun, but also Smenkhkare (Ankhkheperure Smenkhkare Djeser Kheperu - sometimes spelled Smenkhare, Smenkare or Smenkhkara)

House P 49.6 where the object was found is a sculptor's workshop similar to the one attributed to the artist Thutmose (P 47 1-3.). The premises are, however, considerably smaller and laid out differently. The famous pair of clasping hands (inv.nr.20494) and the unfinished yellow-sandstone face inlay of the king (22275) belong to the same find context as this bust.