Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Temple Statue of Pawerem, Priest of Bastet

• Download
• Add to set
• Favorite
• Posse icon
• Share
• Print

Temple Statue of Pawerem, Priest of Bastet

Each morning in the temples, the king, or a priest playing the role of pharaoh, embraced the image of a god to help the god's daily rebirth and protect it from the forces of chaos. The priest depicted here, named Pawerem, holds a shrine containing an image of the goddess Bastet. Such statues (called naophoros, or "shrine-bearing") link their owners to this daily temple ritual and associate them permanently with the divine cycle of death and rebirth.

• Medium: Diorite
• Place Made: Bubastis (modern day Zagazig), Egypt
• Dates: ca. 570-510 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: late XXVI Dynasty-early XXVII Dynasty
• Period: Late Period
• Dimensions: Height: 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm) Base: 3 x 7 1/4 x 11 in. (7.6 x 18.4 x 27.9 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: 37.36E
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Overall, 37.36E_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Temple Statue of Pawerem, Priest of Bastet, ca. 570-510 B.C.E. Diorite, Height: 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm) Base: 3 x 7 1/4 x 11 in. (7.6 x 18.4 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.36E (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.36E_SL1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Black diorite or baslt naophorous statue of a priest of Bastet. The figure, who wears a Shendyt-kilt, kneels upon a rectangular plinth. Resting upon his legs is a deep naos. His palms rest against the sides of it as if to steady it. The front of the naos is decorated with a recess in which is carved, in relief, a figure of the goddess Bastet. The goddess wears a lappet wig, broad collar, and tight dress. The inscriptions on the piece are as follows: On front of naos around recess: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the top surface of the naos: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] Left side of naos: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] Right side of naos: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the front of the plinth: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the left side of the plinth is a single line of text: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the right side of the plinth is a single line of text: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the rear of the plinth is a single line of text: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] On the back pillar are two columns of text: [drawing of hieroglyphic inscription] The stone is smoothly polished. The torso modelling is simple without indication of a median line. The one preserved nipple is given in relief. An extension of the stone connects the rear of the naos with the abdomen. Condition: Base chipped; head, right shoulder, upper arms missing; top of back pillar missing; most of piece chipped.