Skip Navigation

Block Statue of Harsiese, a Priest of Amun and Min

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Although few private stone statues were made during Dynasty XXI (circa 1070–945 B.C.), Dynasties XXII through XXV (circa 945–653 B.C.) witnessed their revival. Among the first sculptural types to reappear was the block statue, a distinctly Egyptian blending of abstract and naturalistic forms. The broad expanses of these squatting figures' robes often reflect another aspect of Third Intermediate Period art: a penchant for adorning a statue's garments with religious texts, symbols, and scenes.

This statue's main texts invoke Amun and Montu of Thebes on Harsiese's behalf, indicating the sculpture's probable provenance. The scenes of Osiris and of Harsiese adoring a symbol of Osiris are appeals for the perpetual favor of that deity. The statue is dated by details of its form and style. Some elements, such as the plain double wig and long, narrowly opened eyes, began to appear about 780–760 B.C.

CULTURE Egyptian
MEDIUM Basalt
  • Possible Place Made: Thebes (Karnak), Egypt
  • DATES ca. 712-653 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY late Dynasty 25
    PERIOD Third Intermediate Period
    DIMENSIONS Height: 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 51.15
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Charles Pratt
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Fine grained black granodiorite squatting statue of the priest of Amen and Min, Harsiese. Bag wig, beard, arms crossed with left hand flat, palm down, right hand grasps an attribute. Feet not shown, body well modelled completely in the round. On front of body incised rectangle with eight columns and one line of incised inscription. On back of body, two columns of incised inscription ('local god formula'). On each side of body, Harsiese in incised relief is shown worshipping Osiris (right) and standard of Osiris (left) with inscriptions. Oblong base uninscribed. Condition: Intact.
    CAPTION Egyptian. Block Statue of Harsiese, a Priest of Amun and Min, ca. 712-653 B.C.E. Basalt, Height: 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Charles Pratt, 51.15. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.15_NegA_print_bw.jpg)
    IMAGE front, CUR.51.15_NegA_print_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    Egyptian. <em>Block Statue of Harsiese, a Priest of Amun and Min</em>, ca. 712-653 B.C.E. Basalt, Height: 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Charles Pratt, 51.15. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.15_NegA_print_bw.jpg)