Head from a figure of a child god, perhaps Harpokrates

Head from a figure of a child god, perhaps Harpokrates

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This tiny head likely comes from the figure of a child god, perhaps Harpokrates, son of Isis and Osiris. The god’s youth is indicated by the braided sidelock that emerges from the cap that covers his head. Despite its small size, the face is carefully crafted, and the clearly delineated features are well preserved. Beginning in the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1000-700 B.C.), child gods grew in importance, and were especially popular as temple offerings. The best known of these was Harpokrates (Horus the Child, or Hor-pa-khered), but since this head preserves no inscription, it could also represent a different youthful deity, such as Khonsu the Child, Ihy, or Harsiese.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Head from a figure of a child god, perhaps HarpokratesHead from a figure of a child god, perhaps HarpokratesHead from a figure of a child god, perhaps HarpokratesHead from a figure of a child god, perhaps HarpokratesHead from a figure of a child god, perhaps Harpokrates

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.