Osiris-Iah

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Osiris-Iah is a form of Osiris specifically linked to the moon, a feature made explicit in this figure through the crown, which represents the moon disk resting on the crescent moon, thereby encompassing the moon in all of its phases. The statuette conforms to the standard iconography for this deity in which he is shown with the moon crown, seated and wearing an enveloping garment, and holding the crook and flail. This figure is further elaborated with bracelets, visible where the cloak opens on the chest. Osiris-Iah can also be shown striding and wearing a short kilt, such as on 04.2.452. The god Osiris is linked to the moon because, as the moon changes from crescent to full from month to month, it recalls Osiris’ continual rebirth and regeneration.

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