About this artwork
Ancient Egyptian worshippers purchased statuettes like this one from temple workshops and deposited them in temples or shrines. They made such offerings in thanks for answered prayers or to request good health, long life, and other favors from the gods. This finely cast statuette depicts the mummified Osiris, ruler of the underworld. The god holds a shepherd’s crook and a flail, symbols of royal authority that signify his role as Egypt’s first king. The statuette would have been inserted into a rectangular base inscribed for the person who offered it.
-
Status
- On View, Gallery 50
-
Department
- Arts of Africa
-
Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
-
Title
- Statuette of Osiris
-
Place
- Egypt (Object made in)
-
Date
- c. 664 BCE–332 BCE
-
Medium
- Copper alloy
-
Dimensions
- 27 × 6.8 × 4.5 cm (10 5/8 × 2 5/8 × 1 3/4 in.)
-
Credit Line
- Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Norman W. Harris
-
Reference Number
- 1892.130
-
IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/617/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.