Child god (Harpokrates?) amulet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The beautiful blue lapis lazuli figure represents a child god in a seated/reclining position, as he would have been held on his mother's lap. The child is distinguished from an adult gods by iconographic clues: his nudity and the thick sidelock on the right side of his head that is a sign of childhood. The detailed treatment of this small figure is notable: large eyes, smiling mouth, and the luxuriant lock growing naturally from his head evoke the beautiful promising child, while the rounded belly and prominent penis hint at his ability to bring about prosperity and abundance. Child gods grew in popularity and cult from the Third Intermediate Period onwards, rivaling even the most powerful and ancient gods, especially as temple offerings. The best known is Horus the Child (Harpokrates), who was the son of Isis and Osiris, but many others existed, including Khonsu the Child, Ihy, and Harsiese, among others. Thus it is difficult to assign a precise identity to this statuette without an associated inscription.

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