Osiris inscribed for Harkhebit, son of Padikhonsu and Isetempermes

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

During the first millennium B.C. Osiris’s cult became dominant and was observed in seemingly every temple in the land. This large Osiris was dedicated somewhere at Memphis. After a period, which might even be hundreds of years, it was removed with other figures – including 10.175.131, .132 and .134 - for respectful burial within the temple precincts. The statue's facial features - upturned eyes and a small curved mouth - recall early to mid-Saite Period style. Various factors need consideration, but it may be that this statue, like the statue of Nefertum 10.175.131 that has similar features, dates to a period long before it was cached away, probably sometime in the fourth or third century. The name of the dedicator's mother means Isis-is-in-the-birth-house and she gave her son, the dedicator, a name meaning Horus-is-in-the-marshes, referring to Isis giving birth to Horus and concealing him in the marshes during his infancy.

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