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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Plast Surg 2022; 55(04): 357-363
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1759496
Original Article

The Science Behind Nefertiti's Beauty: A Plastic Surgeon's Analysis

Neha Chauhan
1   Department of Plastic Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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Abstract

Introduction The famous stucco limestone coated “Bust of Nefertiti” housed in the Neues Museum, Germany dated 1,345 BC is an icon of beauty. Sculpted around three millennia ago by Thutmose, the bust still emits a charm that leaves its audience spellbound. However, no one, to the best of author's knowledge, has analyzed this sculpture or its photographs objectively to determine if there is any scientific basis to its attractiveness.

Materials and Methods High-resolution photographs of the bust were anthropometrically analyzed in frontal and right lateral profile views using neoclassical canons and Farkas' studies.

Results The photographs of the bust exhibit many of the neoclassical canons and proportions of Farkas' studies exactly, while many of the remaining are very close to these measurements. A few measurements are out of range of what is considered acceptable these days; however, her overall appearance is pleasing.

Conclusion Despite passage of more than three millennia, the proportions and parameters defining beautiful faces have largely remained unchanged.

Keywords

beauty - face - anthropometry - calcium carbonate - sculpture - esthetics - reference standards - plastic surgery


Publication History

Article published online:
22 December 2022

© 2022. Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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