Isis nursing Horus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Isis nursing her son Horus is one of the most popular images of this protective goddess. This beautiful small figurine depicts her seated on a throne. She wears a long, tight-fitting dress under which her long and slim legs and full breasts are clearly modelled. On her chest is a broad collar with several rows of beads. Her long tripartite wig is partially covered by a vulture headdress that includes either a vulture head or a uraeus at the brow of the goddess. The additional tall headdress on top of Isis’ head depicts a stylized throne that is also used as a hieroglyph and signifies her name. With her right hand Isis grasps the front of her left breast and offers it to her child. Only a small section of her upper left arm is preserved, but from similar pieces we know that it would have supported her son. The top half of the naked boy is missing. He sits side-ways on the lap of his mother with his legs side by side and his hands resting next to his knees. On the back is a loop for suspension. This piece is relatively large, so the pendant might not have functioned as an amulet that was worn by a person, but might have been a donation to the goddess.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art