Part from Shrine for a Divine Image

ca. 664–342 B.C.E.

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Object Label

The central panel here is inscribed for the Thirtieth Dynasty king Nectanebo II (reigned circa 360–342 B.C.). It comes from a shrine that presumably held a cult statue of the squatting goddess it depicts. Showing a figure in heavy, enveloping robes like this was a standard way of representing deities and symbolizing protection and the potential for life and regeneration. The resemblance to a wrapped mummy has led some Egyptologists to wonder: Is a mummy a body stylized into a divine image?

The side panels are probably from a different and earlier shrine.

Caption

Part from Shrine for a Divine Image, ca. 664–342 B.C.E.. Wood, glass, 15 15/16 x 9 1/4 in. (40.5 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.260E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Title

Part from Shrine for a Divine Image

Date

ca. 664–342 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 30

Period

Late Period

Geography

Reportedly from: Abusir, Egypt

Medium

Wood, glass

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

15 15/16 x 9 1/4 in. (40.5 x 23.5 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

37.260E

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