Osiris

Unknown

ca. 664–30 B.C. · Cupreous metal · Egyptian Art

Osiris, foremost of the Egyptian funerary gods and ruler of the underworld, stands upright in a close-fitting mummiform garment. The garment hugs the contours of his arms and buttocks and has a stiff upper edge along the back of the neck, a feature that occurs with some regularity on this garment, but one with an unclear meaning. He holds the royal crook and flail with his hands posed asymmetrically. In general, Osiris statuettes were some of the most abundant temple offerings in Egypt by the first millennium B.C., reflecting both the god’s importance and changing cult practices that spurred the wide-scale dedication of deity statuettes. Many statues of Osiris were offered in temples and shrines belonging to him, but they have also been found in other contexts, for example near temples and shrines honoring other prominent deities or in animal necropoleis.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 664–30 B.C.

Medium

Cupreous metal

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889