Thutmose (sculptor)
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Thutmose, also known as "The King's Favourite and Master of Works, the Sculptor Thutmose" (also spelled Djhutmose, Thutmosis, and Thutmes), was an Ancient Egyptian sculptor in the Amarna style. He flourished around 1350 BC, and is thought to have been the official court sculptor of the
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian
pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Akhenaton or Echnaton ( ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning 'Effective for the Aten'), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eig ...
in the latter part of his reign. A German archaeological expedition digging in Akhenaten's deserted city of Akhetaten, known today as Amarna, found a ruined house and studio complex (labeled P47.1-3) in early December 1912; the building was identified as that of Thutmose based on an ivory horse blinker found in a rubbish pit in the courtyard inscribed with his name and job title. Reeves. (2005) p. 157. Since it gave his occupation as "sculptor" and the building was clearly a
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
workshop, the determination seemed logical and has proven to be accurate.


Recovered works

Among many other sculptural items recovered at the same time was the
polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...
bust of Nefertiti, apparently a master study for others to copy, which was found on the floor of a storeroom. In addition to this now-famous bust, twenty-two plaster casts of faces—some of which are full heads, others just the face—were found in Rooms 18 and 19 of the studio, with an additional one found in Room 14. Eight of these have been identified as various members of the royal family, including Akhenaten, his other wife
Kiya Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's 'Great royal wife', Nefertiti. Her unusual nam ...
, his late father
Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...
, and his eventual successor Ay. The rest represent unknown individuals, presumably contemporary residents of Amarna. A couple of the pieces found in the workshop depict realistic images of older noblewomen, something rare in Ancient Egyptian art, which more often portrayed women in an idealized manner as always young, slender, and beautiful. Sweeney. (2004) p. 67. One of the plaster faces depicts an older woman, with wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, bags under them, and a deeply lined forehead. This piece has been described as showing "a greater variety of wrinkles than any other depiction of an elite woman from ancient Egypt" Sweeney. (2004) p. 79. It is thought to represent the image of a wise, older woman. A small statue of an aging Nefertiti also was found in the workshop, depicting her with a rounded, drooping belly, thick thighs, and a curved line at the base of her abdomen showing that she had borne several children, perhaps intended to project an image of fertility. Tyldesley (2006). p. 126-127. Examples of his work recovered from his abandoned studio may be viewed at the
Egyptian Museum of Berlin The Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection of Berlin () is home to one of the world's most important collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts, including the Nefertiti Bust. Since 1855, the collection is a part of the Neues Museum on Berlin's ...
, the
Egyptian Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum (, Egyptian Arabic: ) (also called the Cairo Museum), located in Cairo, Egypt, houses the largest collection of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian antiquities in the world. It hou ...
in Cairo, and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, New York City. Upon the death of Akhenaten, the seat of government was returned from Amarna to Thebes and the associated bureaucratic and professional industries followed.


Tomb

In 1996 the French Egyptologist Alain Zivie discovered at
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
the decorated rock cut tomb of the "head of the painters in the place of truth", Thutmose. The tomb dates to the time shortly after the Amarna Period. Although the title of the Thutmose in Saqqara is slightly different from the title of the Thutmose known from Amarna, it seems likely that they refer to the same person and that the different titles represent different stages in his career. An extensive article by Zivie in the July–August 2018 edition of ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' provides great detail and many images of artifacts recovered in an adjacent tomb,Zivie, Alain, ''Pharaoh's Man, Abdiel, the vizier with a Semitic name'', Biblical Archaeology Review, July–August 2018, page 23, ff discussion of many aspects of several topics regarding Ancient Egyptian research and identification, as well as information about the sculptor, Thutmose.


Gallery of images

Image:PortraitStudyOfAkhenaten-ThutmoseWorkshop EgyptianMuseumBerlin.png, A plaster portrait of Akhenaten (or possibly his immediate successor
Smenkhkare Smenkhkare (alternatively romanized Smenkhare, Smenkare, or Smenkhkara; meaning "Vigorous is the soul of Re") was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of unknown background who lived and ruled during the Amarna Period of the 18th Dynasty. Smenkhkare was ...
) from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the Ägyptisches Museum Image:TutankhamunBerlin.jpg, A plaster portrait of
Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
, Akhenaten's successor, from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the
Altes Museum The Altes Museum (English: ''Old Museum'') is a List of World Heritage Sites in Germany, listed building on the Museum Island in the Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin, Germany. Built between 1825 and 1830 by order of King Frederick Will ...
Image:FaceOfAnOlderAmarnaWoman-ThutmoseWorkshop MetropolitanMuseum.png, Plaster face of an older Amarna-era woman, from late in Akhenaten's reign, years 14–17, from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the Ägyptisches Museum Image:FaceOfAYoungAmarnaWoman-ThutmoseWorkshop MetropolitanMuseum.png, Plaster face of a young Amarna-era woman, (thought by many to represent
Kiya Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's 'Great royal wife', Nefertiti. Her unusual nam ...
, one of Akhenaten's wives), from late in Akhenaten's reign, years 14–17, from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, New York City Image:PortraitStudyOfKiya-ThutmoseWorkshop_EgyptianMuseumBerlin.png, Portrait study thought to represent Kiya, a secondary wife to the pharaoh Akhenaten, discovered within the workshop of the royal sculptor Thutmose at Amarna, now part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection Image:PortraitStudyOfAmenhotepIII-ThutmoseWorkshop_EgyptianMuseumBerlin.png, Portrait study thought to represent
Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...
, the father of pharaoh Akhenaten, discovered within the workshop of the royal sculptor Thutmose at Amarna, now part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection Image:PortraitStudyOfAy.png, Plaster portrait study thought to represent the later successor pharaoh Ay, part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin collection Image:QueenNefertiti-LimestoneStatuette.png, Statuette of Queen Nefertiti rendered in limestone from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the Egyptian Museum of Berlin Image:PortraitStudyOfNefertiti-ThutmoseWorkshop_EgyptianMuseumBerlin.png, Plaster portrait study thought to represent Queen Nefertiti, primary wife of the pharaoh Akhenaten, discovered within the workshop of the royal sculptor Thutmose at Amarna, now part of the Egyptian Museum of Berlin Image:StatueHeadOfNefertiti01.png, Granite statue of the head of Queen Nefertiti, from the workshop of the sculptor Thutmose, on display at the Egyptian Museum of Berlin


Footnotes


Bibliography

* Aldred, Cyril (1988). ''Akhenaten: King of Egypt''. Thames and Hudson. pp. 59. * * Rita E. Freed, Yvonne J. Markowitz, Sue H. D'Auria, ''Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten - Nefertiti - Tutankhamen'' (Museum of Fine Arts, 1999), pp. 123–126. * *Nicholas Reeves (2005). "Akhenaten: Egypt's False Prophet" * * * Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung Berlin, Friederike Seyfried (Hrsg.): Im Licht von Amarna: 100 Jahre Fund der Nofretete; atalog zur Ausstellung vom 07. Dezember 2012-13. April 2013: 100 Jahre Fund der Nofretete Imhof, Petersberg 2012, Seite 170 ff. Friederike Seyfried. Der Werkstattkomplex des Thutmosis.


External links


Sculptor Thutmose’s Complex
– image comparisons, Rifkind's World {{Authority control Ancient Egyptian sculptors 14th-century BC Egyptian people Sculptures of ancient Egypt Akhenaten Nefertiti Court sculptors