Statuette of a Child God, probably Horus the Child (Harpocrates)
Late Period–Ptolemaic Period (664–30 BCE)
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
18.8 × 6.9 × 5.1 cm (7 3/8 × 2 11/16 × 2 in.)
Classification
statuette
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
136323
Rights
Public Domain
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 ...
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....