- Museum number
- EA27547
- Description
-
Mould-made amuletic figure in glazed composition, representing Isis nursing Horus (Harpokrates); goddess wearing tripartite wig, topped by a crown consisting of modius surrounded by rearing cobras (uraei), topped by a sun disc possibly with horns (broken); seated on a throne in the shape of a cubical seat with high back on a rectangular base; holding on her knees Horus with the left arm while presenting her left breast with the right hand to her son; rather detailed modelling with fine incisions; wig shown with square elements; nipple of right breast marked with cylindrical piercing; edge of dress indicated above feet; both sides of throne decorated with six layers of feathers; back pillar forming back of throne plain and narrowing towards the top above with right angled indents; hole for suspension pierced through back of crown and top of throne; glaze lost, dirty brownish green surface deposit; yellow to buff hard fine core; top of amulet broken off, left arm of Isis missing below elbow and Horus child damaged, only legs remain; base chipped; burnt.
- Production date
- 664 BC - 332 BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 4.30 centimetres (minimum)
-
Width: 1.20 centimetres
-
Depth: 1.90 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- This amulet was possibly discovered in a large cache of votives in 1885, in a house to the south of the town (Petrie 1886, 41-42). Petrie mentioned among the finds two 'glazed pottery' figures representing 'Isis and Horus'. All identified objects from this context, other than the bronzes, are kept in the British Museum and this amulet is burnt and broken as were many objects stemming from this cache (Petrie 1886, 41). The cache can be dated around the end of the 5th-beginning of the 4th century BC (Masson 2015). For the possible second amulet of Isis and Horus from the cache see BM 1885,1101.53. These two objects are the only Isis amulets in glazed composition kept in the British Museum and were both acquired in 1885.
Isis nursing is a theme relatively well-represented at Naukratis with some figures and amulets made of bronze or glaze composition (Masson forthcoming b). Isis lactans appears to be an important amuletic figure for the mummy but also used in the daily life for the protection of women and children (Andrews 1994, 48). Such figures were also deposited as ex-votos. They became truly popular from the Late Period onwards and one of the most depicted themes in bronze statuary (Roeder 1956, § 303-314; Weiss 2012, 330-331, 822-833, pl. 56, G12).
On Isis amulets see: Andrews 1994, 48-49, fig. 18; Herrmann et al. 2010, 30-32 (types 4-5).
Andrews, C. 1994, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London.
Herrmann, C., Staubli, T., Berger-Lober, S., Keel, O., Schönbächler, G. 2010, 1001 Amulett : altägyptischer Zauber, monotheisierte Talismane, säkulare Magie, Bibel+Orient-Museum, Liebefeld, Stuttgart.
Masson, A. 2015, ‘Cult and Trade. A reflexion on Egyptian metal offerings from Naukratis’, in D. Robinson and F. Goddio (eds), Thonis Heracleion in Context, Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology Monograph 8, Oxford, 71-88.
Masson, A. forthcoming b, ‘Naukratis: Egyptian offerings in context’, in M. Bergeron and A. Masson (eds.), Naukratis in Context II: Cults, Sanctuaries and Offerings. Proceedings of the Second Naukratis Project Workshop held at The British Museum, 22nd-23rd June 2013.
Petrie, W. M. F. 1886, Naukratis. Part I., 1884-5 (Third Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Fund), London.
Roeder, G. 1956, Ägyptische Bronzefiguren, Mitteilungen aus der Ägyptischen Sammlung 6, Berlin.
Weiss, K. 2012, Ägyptische Tier- und Götterbronzen aus Unterägypten: Untersuchungen zu Typus, Ikonographie und Funktion sowie der Bedeutung innerhalb der Kulturkontakte zu Griechenland, Ägypten und Altes Testament 81.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- fair (incomplete)
- Acquisition date
- 1885
- Department
- Egypt and Sudan
- BM/Big number
- EA27547
- Registration number
- 1885,1101.42