Skip Navigation

Triad of Isis, the Child Horus, and Nephthys

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

After Osiris went to the afterlife, Isis raised her son Horus with the help of her sister Nephthys. Isis hid her son from his jealous uncle Seth, who had killed Osiris and taken the throne of Egypt from him. Amulets like this were placed on the lower torso of the mummy and protected the deceased as Isis and Nephthys protected Horus.
MEDIUM Faience
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES 305–30 B.C.E.
    PERIOD Ptolemaic Period
    DIMENSIONS 2 x 1 7/16 x 5/8 in. (5.1 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.939E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Light green glazed faience amulet representing Isis, Nephthys, and Horus. The three figures stride upon a rectangular plinth with high back slab (the slab reaches up to the tops of the figures' crowns). On the right side is Nephthys identified by the "neb"-basket supported by a palace-sign which she wears upon her head. She wears a striated tripartite wig, broad collar, and tight dress. Her right arm is at her side; her left hand holds the right hand of Horus who stands to her right. Horus is nude and wars the child's sidelock. His right hand holds the left hand of Isis who is at his right side. Isis is dressed in the same fashion as Nephthys, but wears upon her head the hieroglyph for "throne." Isis and Nephthys are the same height; Horus is shorter. On the rear of the back slab is an eyelet. The figures are strongly modeled with large breasts, rounded stomachs, and pronounced navels. Condition: Complete.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Triad of Isis, the Child Horus, and Nephthys, 305–30 B.C.E. Faience, 2 x 1 7/16 x 5/8 in. (5.1 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.939E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.939E_front_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE front, 37.939E_front_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
    "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.