Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 332 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze Although not inscribed, the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 332 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze Although not inscribed, the iconography of our statuette is sufficiently complete to insure its identification as a representation of Horus the Child. He is depicted as a nude, husky child with a decidedly corpulent body. His attitude is that of the canonical, Egyptian striding male figure with his left foot advanced on a rectangular base. His left arm is held down alongside his body and its fisted hand may have originally held a ceremonial staff. His right arm is bent at the elbow and raised so that its extended index finger is placed near the mouth. This hand- gesture habitually denotes children in ancient Egyptian art, but was mistakenly interpreted by the Greek and Romans who maintained that the gesture of the index finger to the lips was one of silence, indicating that Harpocrates would not reveal hidden wisdom to outsiders. Our child god’s only attribute is the Double Crown which is fronted by a uraeus, or sacred cobra.Harpocrates wears the Double Crown as an emblem of his role in Egyptian mythology. As the son who avenged the death of his father, Osiris, at the hands of Seth, Horus the Child was regarded as the legitimate successor of his father. Consequently, each deceased pharaoh was identified as Osiris, and each successor with Horus. The Double Crown is, therefore, to be regarded as the emblem of legitimate kingship in this particular context.On the basis of parallels, one can date our Harpocrates to the Late Period. At that time such statuettes were dedicated by pious pilgrims at various sanctuaries throughout the land in order to secure the deity’s blessings. (X.0302)References:Jean-Claude Grenier, Les bronzes du Museo Gregoriano Egizio (Vatican City 2002), page 29, catalogue number 29 [inventory number 18576], for a very close parallel which even exhibits the same surface as our example.- (X.0302)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6 th Century BC Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Terracotta Perhaps no single object epitomizes the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6 th Century BC Dimensions: 6.5" (16.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Terracotta Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of Ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the pick and hoes clutched in the hands, as well as the seed bag slung over his shoulder, recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means “the answerer.” The function of these figures is described in Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead: “O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here.” The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a given tomb; but by the New Kingdom, the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute, and many might be found buried together, along with a larger overseer figure.In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal, and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period (the time when this work was produced), a green glaze, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. The ushabti bears nine horizontal lines of hieroglyphic inscriptions on the front and column of hieroglyphs on the reverse. Such inscriptions generally offer prayers from the deceased and reveal the ushabti’s readiness to perform labor. Additionally, the text here reveals that this ushabti was placed in the tomb of General Ankhwaibra-Saneith, the son of Psamtek and Istemkhebi. To look upon this ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (X.0307)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 BC to 200 BC Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ptolemaic Period Medium: Limestone Although traditionally called  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 300 BC to 200 BC Dimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Ptolemaic Period Medium: Limestone Although traditionally called sculptors' models or trial pieces, some scholars have suggested that objects such as this one were in fact ex-votos. Otherwise, it is believed that such works functioned as aids for apprentices to learn the art of sculpting step by step before embarking upon royal commissions where one mistake could mean disaster. Similar plaques were unearthed in what are thought to have been artist workshops, thus their identification as models. It would be unlikely that a wall panel would have been carved on both sides. Today, these plaques give us unique insight into the creative process behind some of the most endearing and enduring artworks ever created by mankind.A gorgeous rendition of a falcon standing to the right on a rectangular pedestal has been carved onto one side of this limestone sculptor’s model. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the living incarnation of the sky god Horus, who was traditionally depicted as a falcon or a falcon-headed man. The intricacy of the carefully incised feathers, claws, and facial features is truly stunning. To the left of the falcon, a coiled Uraeus cobra has been depicted with an ankh dangling from its neck. The other side of this limestone plaque depicts a man facing right. The man wears a skullcap. He has a delicately rendered ear, a frontal almond- shaped eye, elegant nose, slightly smiling lips, and rounded cheeks.Is it possible that Egyptian artists sought their inspiration not from nature but from such models? Considering the stylization of Egyptian art, it is clear that there was not much room for individual interpretation. When one realizes that many sculptors would have been responsible for decorating a single tomb or temple, stylistic unity becomes a foremost concern. While the artist who originally carved the first falcon or human head prototype was clearly inspired by careful observation of nature, these are idealized interpretations of a falcon worthy of symbolizing the mighty god Horus himself and a man whose beauty and refinement would be suitable for a representation of a pharaoh. - (X.0322)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally placed  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a decentralized Egyptian state that had been ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the assistance of a powerful family centered in the Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the height of its power; however, due to civil strife back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his authority over the entire Nile Valley and found his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history. Known as the Saite Period due to the importance of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like many before it, sought to emulate the artistic styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their own claims to power and legitimize their authority.The first examples of amulets appeared in Ancient Egypt as early as 4000 B.C. Believed to possess magical powers that protected the wearer or bestowed upon the properties they symbolized, amulets were worn both by the living as well as the dead. Throughout their evolution, talismans were crafted from a variety of materials including precious metals such as gold and silver, semiprecious stone like jasper and carnelian, as well as other more affordable glazed compositions such as faience. The particular powers of an individual amulet were based upon its specific shape, although the material and even the color of the charm could affect its magical abilities. While many of the amulets created to be worn by the living could also be worn after death, there also existed a specific group of charms that were made specifically to be placed upon the mummified remains of the deceased. All together, amulets represent an important class of Ancient Egyptian art that furthers our understanding of their complex religious beliefs.Faience, which dates back to predynastic times, at least 5,000 years, is a glasslike non-clay substance made of materials common to Egypt: ground quartz, crushed quartz pebbles, flint, a soluble salt-like baking soda, lime and ground copper, which provided the characteristic color. The dried objects went into kilns looking pale and colorless but emerged a sparkling "Egyptian blue." Called tjehnet by the Ancient Egyptians, meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating, faience was thought to be filled with the undying light of the sun, moon and stars and was symbolic of rebirth. Ancient Egyptians believed the small blue-green objects helped prepare them for eternity in the afterlife.While the form of the djed column is fairly clear: a tall wide shaft crossed by four short horizontal lines at the top, its interpretation is surely enigmatic. Some scholars believe it originally represented a stylized palm tree, others suggest it was supposed to be a bundle of papyrus stalks. As a symbol, it first appears as early as the 3rd Dynasty; however, it was not until the end of the Old Kingdom that the djed appears as an amulet. By the New Kingdom, the djed column has come to be associated with Osiris, and the form was said to represent his backbone. In the Ancient Egyptian language, the word djed meant, “to endure” or “to be stable.” Thus, as an amulet, the djed column was supposed to infuse the wearer with the qualities of stability and endurance. As a funerary element, the Book of the Dead details instructions for placing the djed on the throat of the deceased. Yet despite these instructions, djed amulets have been found most often on the breast or stomach of mummies. - (X.0326)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1295 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x 4.8" (12.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: 18th Dynasty Medium: Faience Faience, which  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1550 BC to 1295 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) high x 4.8" (12.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: 18th Dynasty Medium: Faience Faience, which dates back to predynastic times, at least 5,000 years, is a glasslike non-clay substance made of materials common to Egypt: ground quartz, crushed quartz pebbles, flint, a soluble salt-like baking soda, lime and ground copper, which provided the characteristic color. The dried objects went into kilns looking pale and colorless but emerged a sparkling "Egyptian blue." Called tjehnet by the Ancient Egyptians, meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating, faience was thought to be filled with the undying light of the sun, moon and stars and was symbolic of rebirth. Ancient Egyptians believed the small blue-green objects helped prepare them for eternity in the afterlife.This faience bowl and others like it are sometimes referred to as “marsh bowls” by scholars. This name is derived from the decorative imagery that typically features marshland motifs. It is believed that marsh bowls served as votives offerings and were not used as tableware as is sometimes suggested. Fragments of similar bowls have been found at temples and shrines dedicated to the goddess Hathor, suggesting a link between these works and the deity. The aquatic imagery painted onto the insides of the bowls also alludes to fertility and rebirth while other motifs employed relate to the goddess more directly, such as sistra, masks, and overt representations of the goddess in her cow form. Less frequently, marsh bowls have been found entombed alongside the remains of the deceased as funerary offerings. In the burial context, the fertility imagery seems to suggest the concept of rebirth in the afterlife. The tombs in which such bowls have been excavated are non-royal and mostly female, furthering the link between Hathor and these works. Although nearly every bowl has been discovered empty, a few contained remnants of milky substances, suggesting they once held votive offerings to the goddess Hathor.This bowl has been decorated with the image of a fish surrounded by three lotus buds, expertly rendered in manganese that, after firing, appears as black pigment against the bluish green hue of the faience. The fish appears to be the tilapia fish (Tilapia nilotica) that often appears on such bowls. This fish was a symbol of eternal life. The tilapia guards its young in its mouth, and this fact seems to have been misinterpreted by the Ancient Egyptians as an example of spontaneous regeneration. Furthermore, the Egyptians also believed that the lotus flower, which closes and opens during the diurnal cycle of night and day, was a symbol of the renewal of life. By placing such a work inside the tomb, the Ancient Egyptians hoped to ensure that the deceased would be reborn in the next world to thrive for all eternity. - (X.0334)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze and Gold The 26th Dynasty, also known as  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.25" (13.3cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze and Gold The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a decentralized Egyptian state that had been ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the assistance of a powerful family centered in the Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the height of its power; however, due to civil strife back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his authority over the entire Nile Valley and found his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history. Known as the Saite Period due to the importance of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like many before it, sought to emulate the artistic styles of past pharaoh in order to bolster their own claims to power and legitimize their authority.Yet despite that artist sought to replicate models of the past, Egyptian art of this era was infused with a heightened sense of naturalism. This fact is likely due to the influx of Greek culture. The Saite rulers recognized that Egypt had fallen behind the rest of the Mediterranean world in terms of military technology. Thus, they were forced to rely upon foreign mercenaries, many of whom were Greek. With ties between these two cultures firmly established during the 7th Century B.C., commercial trading quickly blossomed. Special entrepots for foreign traders were established, including the famed center of Naucratis, a Delta town in which Greek merchants were permitted access. During the Saite Period, two great powers of the Mediterranean world became intimately linked, commercially and culturally. As the exchange of ideas flowed across the sea, the Greeks began to experiment on a monumental scale while the Egyptians began to approach art with an enhanced sense of realism.Ancient Egyptians venerated cats for their ability to keep down the rodent population in the economically important grain fields along the Nile. They were kept as pets in the home and assisted hunters by retrieving their small birds like dogs do today. Because they were economically useful and believed to ensure many children for a family, cats were revered to the point that they were mummified and buried either with their owners or in specially designated cemeteries. The Egyptians had a cat goddess, Bastet, also known as Bast, who was depicted with the body of a woman and the head of a cat, or just as a cat. Goddess of joy, music, and dance, the cult of Bastet was centered in Bubastis in the Nile River Delta, home of the 22nd Dynasty. Although her cult can be traced back to the 4th millennium B.C., she did not become a central goddess until Bubastis became the capital. Herodotus describes her temple in Bubastis as a sanctuary of great splendor, rivaled only in its scope and elegance by the temples of Ra and Horus.This bronze sculpture of Bastet is a masterpiece of Egyptian art. She is represented with the head of a cat and the body of a woman dressed in a tightly fitting robe. She carries a sistrum rattle in her raised right arm, alluding to her identity as a goddess of music. Gold earrings decorate her pierced ears. It was known that pet cats were also dressed with such luxurious adornments. Certain objects, masterpieces treasured in their own time, are of an eternal beauty that is easily appreciated regardless of era or culture. This magnificent bronze sculpture is one such rare example. - (X.0337)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 8.0" (20.3cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This magnificent  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 8.0" (20.3cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This magnificent bronze votive sculpture represents Osiris, god of fertility, king of the dead, and ruler of eternity. Many centuries ago, it might have been found inside a temple, placed as an offering to the mighty deity. He is depicted wrapped as a mummy, holding a crook and flail. These two attributes act as scepters symbolic of his divine authority over the forces of nature. He wears the atef crown, featuring a uraeus cobra slithering down the front and a pair of undulating ribbed ram’s horns emerging from the sides, and a false braided beard with a curved tip. This type of beard is a symbol of divinity while the headdress associates the god with the ruling pharaohs.The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth, overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore his body into fourteen parts, scattering them across Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris, traversed the land and gathered all the parts of his body. She then cast a spell that resurrected her deceased husband for one night, during which their child, Horus, was conceived. Thus, Osiris was the central figure of Egyptian religion, the god who had triumphed over death and therefore offered the hope of rebirth and resurrection to all men. This striking image of the god in his royal mummiform speaks of a universal mystery, the unanswered questions for which no living man has a sure answer. - (X.0339)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.25" (15.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This elegantly modeled statuette  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.25" (15.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This elegantly modeled statuette represents Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of eternity. He is depicted in his traditional raiment which consists of a tightly-fitting, form-revealing shroud from beneath which the taut, physically-fit forms of his ankles, calves, knees, thighs, elbows, and biceps appear. The shroud is designed with two flared openings for his hands, the projecting fists of which hold the crook and flail. These are the traditional attributes of this god which inextricably link him with his remote, agricultural origins. The crook symbolizes shepherds and herdsmen and the flail farmers of grain with which it was anciently threshed. The cyclic nature of the plant and animal kingdoms served as metaphors for resurrection, and these reminded the ancient Egyptians of the key role Osiris played in their funerary beliefs.The god wears as accessories a broad collar indicated by a series of incised, concentric circles, the lower one ornamented with stylized beads as well as a plaited, curved false beard. His headdress is the atef consisting of the White Crown of Upper Egypt flanked on each side by an ostrich feather and fronted by a uraeus, or sacred cobra.Ancient Egyptian art at its finest is characterized by the integration of line and plane in the design of statuary. Our statuette of Osiris is an outstanding example of this aesthetic. The figure is modeled in broad, simplified planes which imbue our Osiris with an eloquent majesty. That feeling is enhanced by the sagacious use of linear adjuncts which indicate the broad collar, the segmented elements of both the crook and flail, the braiding inherent in the false beard, and the ribbing of the ostrich feathers. This elegance is further enhanced by the proportions of the slender, attenuated figure, the verticality of which is accentuated by the long staff of the crook.As a result of this aesthetic, our elegant statuette can be dated to the Saite Period, when the ancient Egyptian canon of proportions was transformed, perhaps in response to influences from the Greek world. (X.0340)References:K. Bosse, Die Menschliche Figur (Glückstadt 1936), page 36, no. 80, the bronze statuette of Khonsu-ir-di-su [London, The British Museum 14466], dated to Dynasty XXVI by inscription, which exhibits these same, progressive attenuated features; and G. Roeder, Ägyptische Bronzefiguren (Berlin 1956), plate 22, figures e- h, for other bronze figures of Osiris with similarly designed, long staved flails, and plate 23, figures a-c, for an example, the quality of which approaches that of our Osiris.- (X.0340)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 9.875" (25.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This exceptionally well-executed and  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 9.875" (25.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Bronze This exceptionally well-executed and carefully modeled bronze statuette depicts Osiris, Lord of the Westerners and Ruler of Eternity, enthroned and enveloped in a shroud-like garment which envelops his entire body. In keeping with ancient Egyptian artistic design concerns, the metal smiths have not indicated any of this shroud’s details such as the neckline or the exact configuration of the open, flared sleeves from which the arms of the god emerge. His fisted hands are holding his traditional emblems, the crock and the flail, and he is shown wearing the divine, curved false beard. His facial features are well-defined and dominated by his eyes. He is depicted wearing the atef-crown which consists of the White Crown of Upper Egypt to each side of which has been attached an ostrich feather. The bottom of each ostrich feather rests on a horizontally aligned, curved ram’s horn while a uraeus, or sacred cobra, its head crowned by a sun disc, rises up on the outer edge of each of the plumes.Our statuette was cast as one piece with its integral plinth on which the feet of the god rest. The bronze was then sumptuously ornamented with secondary inlays, as the preserved elements on the beard reveal.It is on the basis of the style of this bronze and on the appearance of these inlays that one can assign our bronze to the Third Intermediate Period. It was during this time that some of the finest bronze statuettes ever created in ancient Egypt’s long history were crafted. Our bronze dates to that period and is a fine representative of this very accomplished tradition. (X.0341)References:Marsha Hill, Royal Bronze Statuary from Ancient Egypt (Leiden 2004), for the most recent, and accurate, discussion of ancient Egyptian bronze sculpture; and Christiane Ziegler, “Les arts du metal,” pages 85ff, in Jean-Louis de Cenival, et al., Tanis. L’or des pharaons (Paris 1987), for a discussion of the consummate bronze casting skills of Egyptian metal workers of the Third Intermediate Period.- (X.0341)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Faience The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a decentralized Egyptian state that had been ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the assistance of a powerful family centered in the Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the height of its power; however, due to civil strife back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his authority over the entire Nile Valley and found his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history. Known as the Saite Period due to the importance of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like many before it, sought to emulate the artistic styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their own claims to power and legitimize their authority.The first examples of amulets appeared in Ancient Egypt as early as 4000 B.C. Believed to possess magical powers that protected the wearer or bestowed upon the properties they symbolized, amulets were worn both by the living as well as the dead. Throughout their evolution, talismans were crafted from a variety of materials including precious metals such as gold and silver, semiprecious stone like jasper and carnelian, as well as other more affordable glazed compositions such as faience. The particular powers of an individual amulet were based upon its specific shape, although the material and even the color of the charm could affect its magical abilities. While many of the amulets created to be worn by the living could also be worn after death, there also existed a specific group of charms that were made specifically to be placed upon the mummified remains of the deceased. All together, amulets represent an important class of Ancient Egyptian art that furthers our understanding of their complex religious beliefs.Faience, which dates back to predynastic times, at least 5,000 years, is a glasslike non-clay substance made of materials common to Egypt: ground quartz, crushed quartz pebbles, flint, a soluble salt-like baking soda, lime and ground copper, which provided the characteristic color. The dried objects went into kilns looking pale and colorless but emerged a sparkling "Egyptian blue." Called tjehnet by the Ancient Egyptians, meaning that which is brilliant or scintillating, faience was thought to be filled with the undying light of the sun, moon and stars and was symbolic of rebirth. Ancient Egyptians believed the small blue-green objects helped prepare them for eternity in the afterlife.Isis, the bride of Osiris, the mother of Horus, the healer, was the protector of women, the winged goddess able to grant immortality. The word, “Isis,” is actually the Greek version of her older Egyptian name, Aset or Eset, revealing that she remained a popular deity during the Ptolemaic period, associated with Demeter. The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth, overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore his body into fourteen parts, scattering them across Egypt. Isis traversed the land and gathered all the parts of his body. She then cast a spell that resurrected her deceased husband for one night, during which their child, Horus, was conceived. Thus, Isis was one of the central figures of Egyptian religion, the healer, the giver of life. Horus, one of the most important deities in the Egyptian pantheon, is often depicted in the form of a hawk, more specifically a falcon. Conceived after his father’s resurrection, Horus would grow to avenge his father’s death, and as such, he became a symbol of victory and the kingship, the deification of the earthly Pharaoh. This magnificent faience amulet depicts the goddess Isis nursing the infant Horus, who sits upon her lap. She holds her right hand cupped against her left breast, aiding her suckling child. She wears the hieroglyph for her name (meaning “seat” or “throne”) upon her head, although the majority of this headdress has broken away in antiquity. Such amulets are known from as early as the Ramesside Period, although they become much more popular during the Third Intermediate Period and after. Amulets of this type would have served as a powerful fertility talisman, and thus, would have likely only been worn by women. However, considering the substantial size of this piece, it is unlikely that is was ever worn. Instead, it could have served as a votive offering, or may have been interred alongside the deceased in order to ensure fecundity in the afterlife. - (X.0348)   « Less