Category:
Sculpture in the round, figurines / statuettes, human / gods and goddesses figurines
Date:
Ancient Egyptian period
Material(s):
Non-organic material, alloy, bronze
Hall:
Greco-Roman Antiquities, showcase 15
Description
Bronze statuette of Isis suckling her son Horus who is sitting on her lap. Her head is surmounted by the Hathoric crown.
Divine Suckling
According to the Osirian myth, the problem of royal succession was one of the main issues, and divine suckling had, at first, an exclusively royal meaning. The goddess milk was needed to ensure the king’s rebirth as full king, either in the Netherworld after his death or on earth, each time the power was transmitted or renewed (namely on coronation and jubilees).
Isis and Horus
Statuettes representing Isis suckling her son Horus were very common among Late Period figurines and were made of bronze or glazed compositions.
From the Late Period on, the “democratization” of funerary beliefs led to the popularity of such figures. The object was intended as an ex-voto to be placed in sanctuaries.
The information given here is subject to modification/update as a result of ongoing research.
References
- Carol Andrews, Egyptian Amulets (London: British Museum Press, 1994).
- Sue D'Auria et al., Mummies and Magic: The Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt (Boston, MA: Museum of Fine Arts, 1988).
- Zahi Hawass, ed., Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The Archaeology Museum (Cairo: The Supreme Council of Antiquities, 2002): 88, 89.