Head of Horus for attachment

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The head of the falcon god Horus is shown here wearing the double crown of Egypt. This royal crown symbolizes the union of Lower and Upper Egypt, and highlights Horus’ role as the legitimate ruler of the entire land. The craftsmanship of this piece is easily visible, not just in the details of the wig, face, and crown, or the gilding. The red crown fits over a cylindrical flange extending from the top of the falcon head. The white crown has a flange extending from its underside that is inserted into the top of the red crown. It is stabilized by an extension running through the red crown and into the hollow interior of the falcon head. For another complex crown construction technique, see 04.2.445. The head is an attachment that would have been part of a larger piece of cult equipment.

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