Reading Objects 2019: Student Edition

The relief sculpture of a Child-god is a particularly fine example of a ‘sculptor’s model’ or ‘votive object,’ a piece appearing to be a fragment but actually a fully realized object in itself. It is probably Harpokrates, Horus the Child, often found in ‘birthing’ temples, or in artisans workshops associated with the temples, of the Ptolemaic period. Harpokrates is often portrayed sucking his finger, possibly seen here in unfinished form to the right of his mouth. Also common to Harpokrates is the child’s side-lock which curls elegantly down the side of his head. The curling lock is echoed in the smaller curl of the uraeus (upright cobra) on his skullcap, which signifies divine sovereignty. The full cheeks and neck creases suggest a very young child, also common to portrayals of Harpokrates. The carving demonstrates assurance in the delicate quality of the beautifully shaped eyes and mouth, the lovely fullness of the eyebrow and the slight, beneficent smile.<br /><br />

unknown Egyptian

Child-god, 380-342 BCE (circa)

plaster

relief (sculpture)

12.7 x 13.97 cm (5 x 5 1/2 inches) [irregular]

Dorsky; Arts and Crafts Honor Society, SUNY New Paltz

1957.005.011

Reading Objects 2019: Student Edition

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art invited undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines on campus to submit written responses to works from the Permanent Collection, on view in the museum's Corridor Gallery during the Fall 2019 semester.

This community project is in memory of Professor Pauline Uchmanowicz (English) and Professor Peter Kaufman (Sociology) who both loved writing and who shared their lives generously with SUNY New Paltz students.