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Bust of Isis

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
MEDIUM Egyptian blue frit
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES 305–30 B.C.E.
    PERIOD Ptolemaic Period
    DIMENSIONS 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (7 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.332E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Fragment of a turquoise blue faience figure of Isis suckling the child Horus. The figure is preserved from the waist up; the child is not preserved. The goddess holds her left breast with her right hand (her left arm is missing from the armpit down). She wears a tripartite wig with curls "en echelon". The wig is partially covered with a vulture headdress. The brows are straight and naturally modelled; the nose is straight and thin. The lips are lifted and indented at the corners to give the mouth the appearance of smiling. The eyes are long and thin with cosmetic lines. The goddess wears a broad collar (in relief). The flat-topped back pillar reaches up to the level of the shoulder blades. Condition: Left arm and lower part of the figure missing; large chip out of top of head; glaze chipped off on uraeus, hand, upper right corner of back pillar; brown incrustation on lappets and sides of face.
    CAPTION Bust of Isis, 305–30 B.C.E. Egyptian blue frit, 2 3/4 x 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (7 x 4.5 x 3.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.332E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.332E_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 37.332E_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2014
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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