Statuette of Osiris

Unknown

664–30 BC · Cupreous metal · Egyptian Art

Osiris, foremost of the Egyptian funerary gods and ruler of the underworld, stands upright and wears his atef crown. The crown’s feathers, now lost, were separately cast and mechanically attached into slots on the sides of the crown. The god’s eyes are deep-cut, probably for the addition of gilding or inlay. He is dressed in a close-fitting enveloping garment and he holds the royal crook and flail with his hands poised symmetrically with the fists touching. Osiris statuettes such as this one 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

664–30 BC

Medium

Cupreous metal

Department

Egyptian Art