I love the serene stillness of museums. I feel especially animated in front of statues, utensils, implements, handicrafts and other objects representing thousands of years of human history.
On a short visit to Urbana, I went to the Spurlock Museum. It is a small but charming collection representing various world cultures.
I came across a plaster cast replica of the famous limestone bust Nefretiti. The accompanying description says their copy of the plaster cast came to the Spurlock in 1948 from Lorado Taft’s collection. It was displayed in 1933 at Chicago’s World’s Fair.
I stood in front of the cast for several minutes imagining Nefretiti’s era some 2300 years ago.
She was the chief wife of Pharoh Akhenaten of Egypt (ca. 1353-1336 BCE).
In August, 2015, the news broke that Nefertiti may be in Tutankhamun's tomb along with the speculation that she was his mother.
On reading the new, I made a few quick sketches of Nefretiti and wrote this poem.
Hey Nefertiti
Were you really so pretty?
It is hard to tell
From your antiquity
Were you Tut’s mother?
Tut as in Tutankhamun
Always hiding behind
His cherished historicity
Perhaps it is time
For you to rise
From the dusts of history
And reveal your authenticity
Hey Nefertiti
--Mayank Chhaya