Statue of Horus
Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE)
Medium
Basalt
Dimensions
52 × 48.5 × 18.8 cm (20 1/2 × 19 × 7 3/8 in.)
Classification
statue
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
180206
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
From the appearance of the first kings in Egypt (about 3000 BCE), the ruler was considered to be the earthly manifestation of Horus, the god of divine kingship. Statues of Horus in the form of a falcon like this one were displayed in temples as part of the royal cult, which celebrated the ruler’s role as an intercessor between humans and gods.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....