Child-god

Child-god

unknown Egyptian

Egyptian

380-342 BCE (circa)

relief (sculpture)

work

plaster

relief (sculpture technique)

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

1957.005.011

1957.005.011

1957.005.011.jpg

To request permission to publish or reproduce this work, please contact the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art.

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.

Egypt; children; gods

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551360?sortBy=Relevance&ft=child-god&pg=1&rpp=20&pos=22; http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551316?sortBy=Relevance&ft=child-god&pg=1&rpp=20&pos=40; http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/plaque-of-a-prince-or-child-god-137975

Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art. State University of New York at New Paltz (New Paltz, New York, United States)

World Art Collection. Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art

http://hvvacc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/sdma/id/336

Ptolemaic

Dynasty XXX: Sebennytic Dynasty [?]

Arts and Crafts Honor Society, SUNY New Paltz

http://hvvacc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/sdma/id/336