Why does Nefertiti's bust not have a pupil?

Answer 1

Nefertiti's bust, created around 1345 BCE, lacks a pupil likely due to the artistic conventions of ancient Egyptian sculpture, which often emphasized idealized beauty and spiritual presence over realism. The absence of a pupil may also reflect the belief that the eyes were windows to the soul, and leaving them blank could suggest a divine or eternal quality. Additionally, the unfinished nature of the bust may indicate that it was a work in progress, or it could have been a stylistic choice by the artist to convey a sense of mystery.