Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Statuette of Sobek

A dark stone sculpture has the body of a man and the head of a crocodile. The figure wears a tall elaborate headdress, a long wig, and a garment around its pelvis.
Public Domain

Image actions

  • A dark stone sculpture has the body of a man and the head of a crocodile. The figure wears a tall elaborate headdress, a long wig, and a garment around its pelvis.

Date:

Late Period, Dynasty 26–30, 664–332 BCE

Artist:

Egyptian

About this artwork

Here the crocodile god Sobek, associated with water and the Nile River, wears an elaborate crown adorned with horns, feathers, and a uraeus (sacred serpent). Egyptian gods were commonly depicted with human bodies and animal heads. The animal referred to the god’s personality or characteristics, not his or her appearance. For example, the crocodile head of Sobek alludes to his fierceness. Statuettes like these were offered to the gods to ask for their help or in thanks for their assistance.

Status

On View, Gallery 50

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Statuette of Sobek

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

664 BCE–332 BCE

Medium

Copper alloy

Dimensions

16.7 × 4.5 × 5 cm (6 5/8 × 1 7/8 × 2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Robert H. Fleming

Reference Number

1894.260

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/120299/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms