Ancient Egypt| Horus statuette

Object description

Dating to the 7th century BC, this bronze statuette is of the Egyptian deity Horus, depicted in his typical form of a falcon.

The statuette would originally have been highly polished and possibly adorned with precious metal. The hollow eye sockets allowed for an inlay of precious stone or metal.

Beginning in the 7th century BC, a considerable number of bronze figurines of deities such as this were produced. Archaeological evidence suggests that these objects were dedicated as votives at temple sites. Pilgrims could purchase and dedicate a bronze figure of a god. These bronze figures also come from temple furniture and sacred barques (sailing ships used to transport images of deities during festival processions).

Horus- Ancient Egyptian deity

Horus was one of the most prominent Egyptian deities. He was primarily a sky god but was also regarded as a solar god, particularly when he was merged with the sun god, Ra. He was the son of Osiris (god of the underworld) and Isis (goddess of motherhood and fertility).

It was said that he defeated his uncle Seth to become king of Egypt. Therefore, he was closely associated with the Pharaoh. Ancient Egyptians regarded the Pharaoh as the living incarnation of Horus during his reign. He was often depicted as the Pharaoh’s defender.

One example of the close connection between Horus and the Pharaoh is illustrated by Nectanebo II (Pharaoh in the 4th century BC). He was the focus of a cult in which he was referred to as “Nectanebo the Falcon”.  There is also a statuette depicting Horus in falcon form protecting the figure of Nectanebo II (see image below). Horus’s name does not appear on this statuette, but Nectanebo’s name in its Egyptian form is present. Interestingly, his name contains the word “Hor” meaning the falcon.

Sources

The Hunt Museum Essential Guide. Scala Publishers. 2002.

Egyptian Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544887