Huppertz Alexander, Wildung Dietrich, Kemp Barry J, Nentwig Tanja, Asbach Patrick, Rasche Franz Maximilian, Hamm Bernd
Imaging Science Institute, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Robert-Koch-Platz 7, D-10115 Berlin, Germany.
Radiology. 2009 Apr;251(1):233-40. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2511081175.
To assess the conservation status of, to gain information on the creation of, and to provide surface reformations of the core and the surface of the bust of the pharaoh-queen Nefertiti, considered to be one of the greatest treasures of ancient Egyptian art, with computed tomography (CT).
Multisection CT was performed with 0.6-mm section thickness. Two- and three-dimensional reformations were made to depict the core and the surface separately.
The stucco layer on the face and the ears was very thin, a maximum of 1-2 mm thick. The rear part of the reconstructed crown showed two thick stucco layers of different attenuation values, indicating that a multistep process was used to create the sculpture. Within the stucco, a great number of air-equivalent hypoattenuating areas, filamentous fissures parallel to the surface, and an inhomogeneous bonding between the layers were delineated. Nefertiti's inner face was not anonymous, but rather delicately sculpted by the royal sculptor Thutmose. The comparison to the outer face revealed differences, including the angles of the eyelids, creases around the corners of the mouth on the limestone surface, and a slight bump on the ridge of the nose. According to the beauty ideals of the Amarna period, the differences had positive and negative effects and can be read as signs of individualization of the sculpture. The potential material-related weaknesses of the sculpture that were revealed at imaging necessitate careful handling, with the avoidance of any focal pressure and shearing forces in the crown and the shoulders.
CT imaging revealed construction techniques in Nefertiti's bust that had implications for conservation, as well as for an understanding of the artistic methods used in the creation of this masterpiece of art of the 18th dynasty.
利用计算机断层扫描（CT）评估法老王后奈费尔提蒂半身像的保存状况，获取有关其制作的信息，并对其核心部分和表面进行表面重建。该半身像被认为是古埃及艺术最伟大的瑰宝之一。
采用0.6毫米的层厚进行多层面CT扫描。进行二维和三维重建以分别描绘核心部分和表面。
面部和耳部的灰泥层非常薄，最厚为1 - 2毫米。重建皇冠的后部显示出两层不同衰减值的厚灰泥层，表明该雕塑采用了多步骤制作工艺。在灰泥内部，勾勒出大量空气等效的低密度区域、与表面平行的丝状裂缝以及各层之间不均匀的粘结情况。奈费尔提蒂的内脸并非毫无特征，而是由皇家雕刻家图特摩斯精心雕刻而成。与外脸相比发现了差异，包括眼睑角度、石灰岩表面嘴角周围的皱纹以及鼻梁上的一个小凸起。根据阿玛尔纳时期的审美理想，这些差异有正面和负面的影响，可被解读为雕塑个性化的标志。成像显示的雕塑潜在的与材料相关的弱点需要小心处理，避免在皇冠和肩部施加任何局部压力和剪切力。
CT成像揭示了奈费尔提蒂半身像的制作技术，这对保护工作以及理解这座18王朝艺术杰作的创作所使用的艺术方法都有重要意义。
