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Osiris Figurine

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Mummiform figurines like this one usually represent a combination of the gods Ptah and Sokar with Osiris. The two other gods were combined with Osiris during the last millennium of Egyptian culture, merging solar and afterlife beliefs into one deity. The hollow compartment on the base of the statuette held a papyrus containing protective spells from the Book of the Dead, a group of texts that helped ensure the deceased person’s success in the afterlife. The green face is a symbol of fertility, regeneration, and rebirth.
MEDIUM Wood, pigment
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES after 305 B.C.E.
    PERIOD Ptolemaic Period (or later)
    DIMENSIONS 15 x 3 1/2 x 9 in. (38.1 x 8.9 x 22.9 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 08.480.203
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Painted wooden, mummiform figure, standing on oblong base with cavity for small papyrus. Column of painted hieroglyphs down front and back of figure. Body dark red, details in buff, blue and black. Inscription dedicated in T3-n'iw.t-'imn(?) Condition: Cover of cavity and contents missing. Paint missing in various sections, particularly on back. Crude work, inscription very badly written. Name probably an abbreviation as this form does not appear to be known.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Osiris Figurine, after 305 B.C.E. Wood, pigment, 15 x 3 1/2 x 9 in. (38.1 x 8.9 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.203. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.203_wwgA-2.jpg)
    IMAGE installation, West Wing gallery A-2 installation, CUR.08.480.203_wwgA-2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2005
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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