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Statuette of a Child God, probably Horus the Child (Harpocrates)

A work made of copper alloy.
Public Domain

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  • A work made of copper alloy.

Date:

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period (664–30 BCE)

Artist:

Egyptian

About this artwork

The child god Horus was worshipped as the hero-to-be who would avenge his father’s murder. Horus also symbolized eternal life through his role as the sun, battling evil at night to rise triumphant every morning. The Greek form of the Egyptian “Horus the Child” is “Harpokrates.” The god’s youth is indicated by his side lock of hair and his finger touching his mouth. The Greeks and later the Romans worshipped him with his parents as part of a growing interest in mystery cults promising a true and real life after death.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Statuette of a Child God, probably Horus the Child (Harpocrates)

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.

700 BCE–1 BCE

Medium

Copper alloy

Dimensions

18.8 × 6.9 × 5.1 cm (7 3/8 × 2 11/16 × 2 in.)

Credit Line

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

Reference Number

1894.365

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/136323/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.

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