Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: King Before An Ichneumon

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King Before An Ichneumon

The king was the officiant par excellence in temple ritual, the one who forged the links between god and man. Although there are representations of private individuals before divinities, such direct contact was more commonly a royal prerogative. Here the king stands before an ichneumon, an animal sacred to Atum in whose form that god is often represented. The position of the king's hands indicate that he once held an offering before him.

• Medium: Bronze
• Place Made: Egypt
• Dates: ca. 664-332 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: XXVI Dynasty-XXXI Dynasty
• Period: Late Period
• Dimensions: 2 9/16 x 4 1/8 x 4 3/4 in. (6.5 x 10.5 x 12 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 76.105.2
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Front, 76.105.2_front_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
King Before An Ichneumon, ca. 664-332 B.C.E. Bronze, 2 9/16 x 4 1/8 x 4 3/4 in. (6.5 x 10.5 x 12 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 76.105.2 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.105.2_front_PS1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: One excellently preserved bronze group of a striding king, uraeus on brow, naked, left hand on genitals, worshipping a standing ichneumon. Condition: Hollow cast; the modeling of the ichneumon is superb; that of the king, less fine. The bronze is in an excellent state of preservation with only the left forearm and hand of the figure of the king missing.