Called the, “Head of Nefertem”, this painted wooden sculpture of king Tutankhamun emerging from a lotus blossom was said to have first been discovered by Howard Carter among rubble within the entry corridor of the Boy King’s tomb. Pierre Lacau and Rex Engelbach re-discovered the head in 1924 in KV4 (tomb of Ramses XI), which was being used as storage during the Tutankhamun excavations.
Due to Carter not documenting the find, the true discovery of the head remains a “he said, she said”.
Rather poignantly, the piece represents the king’s rebirth after death, which is something that truly occurred for Tutankhamun on this Earth after the discovery of his tomb.

The piece stands at 30cm tall and is carved from wood and plastered with stucco, some of which has peeled off, Carter blamed the Egyptian authorities for this damage after they seized the head.

Tutankhamun is depicted with a shaved head, which has a stubbled regrowth painted as tiny dots. His skin is the usual Egyptian male red, his ears are pierced, and his eyes and brows are lined. His head is elongated, similarly to the princesses heads, Tutankhamun’s sisters, in the Amarna age. This choice of elongation was seemingly a decision when it came to depicting youth in Akhenaten’s reign. Tutankhamun also has lines on his neck, another Amarna artistic choice, representing flesh.

Despite dying at approximately 19 years of age, this is one of the only depictions of the king as a child.

In Egyptian mythology, Nefertum was originally a lotus flower at the creation of the world, who had arisen from the primal waters. In art, Nefertem is usually depicted as a beautiful young man having blue water-lily flowers around his head.

“Rise like Nefertem from the blue water lily, to the nostrils of Ra (the creator and sungod), and come forth upon the horizon each day.”

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun, c. 1332-1323 B.C.
Found at the entrance of his tomb (KV62).
Valley of the Kings, West Thebes.