Upper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing Horus

Upper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing Horus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Egyptian blue was a synthetic pigment used most frequently to add color to objects composed of other materials or for small objects such as scarabs. It was occasionally also used for larger objects, such as this small sculpture representing Isis. Only the upper part of the sculpture is preserved, but in the complete piece, the goddess likely would have been shown seated, with Horus, her son with the god Osiris, on her lap (see 55.121.5). Traces on the left breast were most likely left by her missing right hand, with which she would have offered milk to her baby.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Upper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing HorusUpper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing HorusUpper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing HorusUpper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing HorusUpper part of Isis, from a figure of the goddess nursing Horus

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.