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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Bronzes : Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of Osiris
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Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of Osiris - X.0305
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 600
BC
to 300
BC
Dimensions:
7.125" (18.1cm) high
x 2.2" (5.6cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian
Medium: Bronze
£6,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
Osiris, the god and judge of the dead, is
depicted in his traditional, mummiform pose
enveloped in a shroud from which his arms
protrude. These are crossed at the wrists over
his chest, with his hands holding a crook and
flail respectively. These attributes suggest that
the origins of Osiris lay in the agricultural and
pastoral pursuits of the early ancient Egyptians
who used the flail to thresh grain and the crook
to shepherd their flocks. He wears the White
Crown of Upper Egypt which is fronted by a
uraeus, or sacred cobra. These serpents were
believed not to have eye lids and were employed
as eternal, vigilant protectors of gods and kings
because the Egyptians believed that they never
closed their eyes to sleep. This Osiris is also
shown wearing a false beard, generally identified
as that of a goat because the ancient Egyptians,
like the Greeks and Romans after them, believed
that the goat was one of the most sexually
prolific of animals. This characteristic enabled
Osiris to know Isis posthumously, fathering their
son, Horus. In like manner, that characteristic
enabled the deceased, identified with Osiris, to
be resurrected in the Hereafter on the model of
human procreation. Many centuries ago, this
exquisite bronze sculpture might have been
found inside a temple, placed as an offering to
the mighty deity.
- (X.0305)
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