figure
- Museum number
- EA35417
- Description
-
Bronze seated figure of Harpocrates: he wears the striped 'nemes' wig cover with two lappets down the front of his shoulders and a queue at the back. There is a uraeus, emblem of royalty, over his forehead, and a plaited sidelock is attached to the right side of the 'nemes', symbolizing his youthfulness and that he is heir to the throne of his father, Osiris. On top of the 'nemes' is a 'hemhemet' crown comprising three central 'mw'-crowns surmounted by sun discs and flanked by ostrich feathers, the whole perched on ram's horns with a cobra wearing a sun disc at each end and two rings below for further attachments, now lost. Harpocrates has his right index finger to his lips, a convention in Egyptian art to signify youthfulness. A further conventional indication that he is a child is his chubby nakedness. As usual, his thighs are in a strongly sloping position relative to the seat on which he would once have sat. On the underside of the extremely thin base on which the figure rests its feet are three columns of incised hieroglyphs providing the name of the donor. The piece is solid cast.
- Production date
- 3rdC BC-1stC BC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 28 centimetres
-
Width: 8.02 centimetres
-
Depth: 4.68 centimetres (foot-plinth)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Bibliography:
S. Walker & P. Higgs [eds.], 'Cleopatra: Regina d'Egitto' (Milan, 2000), p.50 [I.31] = S. Walker & P. Higgs [eds.], 'Cleopatra of Egypt' (London, 2001), p. 107 [131].
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
2018 -2019, 6 Sep - 20 Jan, London, BM, G35, I Object
- Condition
- good
- Acquisition date
- 1901
- Department
- Egypt and Sudan
- BM/Big number
- EA35417
- Registration number
- 1901,0608.150
