banner-onlineshop

Bronze statuette of Osiris

Price: on request
Sold
Object number
AR3253
Object: Bronze statuette of Osiris

Material: Bronze.

Period: Late Period of Ancient Egypt,
26th to 31st dynasty,
664 BC to 332 BC.

Description:    Bronze statuette of Osiris, god of the afterlife. He is depicted as a mummiform young male. On his head the Atef crown with uraeus. With a pharaoh's beard and collier. There is a square with hieroglyphs or possibly a rear part of the collier incised to the neck. The arms are joined in front of the chest and hold a crook and flail. The feet merge into a base.
The shepherd's crook together with the flail are insignia of pharaonic authority. They symbolize Osiris' rule as king of the underworld. The small bronze statuette is extremely well preserved including many fine details. The nicely done insignia and the incised neck are noteworthy.

Background: Depictions of Osiris are mandatory for every collection of Egyptian antiquities. He is among the most important gods of the ancient Egyptian pantheon. Statuettes of him were used in burials since the New Kingdom. Since the Third Intermediate Period bronze was the most popular material for such statuettes and by the Late Period almost all of them were made of bronze. They are manifestations of the hope of the deceased to be reborn. Osiris was not only the king of the underworld, but also the god of fertility, afterlife and resurrection.

Dimensions: 12.7cm height of the statuette with ancient base. 14.6cm height with modern acrylic base.

Condition: Museum condition. The figure is complete and intact, with nicely preserved details on the bronze surface. Noble polychrome patina. The osiris statuette is glued to a modern acrylic base.

Provenance: Acquired by us in 2021 on the German art market. Previously in the German private collection U. H. Acquired into the collection at Sotheby's London, auction 20 November 1978, lot 220.

References: Cf. M. Page Gasser, Götter bewohnten Ägypten, Bronzefiguren der Sammlungen Bibel+Orient der Universität Freiburg Schweiz, p. 55 and plate XIII, no. 11.
Cf. E. Otto, Werke der Kunst in Heidelberg, aus der Sammlung des ägyptologischen Instituts der Universität Heidelberg, fig. 20/21.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, inv. no. 74.51.5583.

Literature: A good explanation of Osiris bronze statuettes can be found in Madeleine Page Gasser's Götter bewohnten Ägypten, Bronzefiguren der Sammlungen Bibel+Orient der Universität Freiburg Schweiz, pages 55ff.

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.