Horus falcon
Horus falcon
Dateca. Late Period (712-332 BCE)
Mediumbasalt
Dimensionsobject: 15 3/4 x 15 1/8 x 5 1/2 in. (40 x 38.4 x 14 cm)
ClassificationSCULPTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Wright S. Ludington
Object number1978.4.28
Subject(s)
- animal
- bird
- mythology
Collection
- Antiquity
Sub-Collection(s)
- Egyptian
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextThis outstanding example of late Egyptian sculpture depicts the sky-god Horus as a falcon. The son of Osiris (god of the afterworld) and Isis (goddess of fertility and magic), Horus was one of the principal deities of the Egyptian pantheon. He was also the earliest state god and closely linked to the pharaoh, who carried a “Horus-name” and was at times identified as an incarnation of the god himself. These royal associations are nicely communicated by the regal bearing of this falcon, with his powerful, compact body and his penetrating gaze. The sculptor is working within the canonical tradition of royal sculpture, which sought a sense of monumentality through broad forms that evoke the strength and density of the stone out of which a figure is carved.
