Statue of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris
Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE)
Medium
Wood, preparation layer, pigment, gold, and textile
Dimensions
62.9 × 12.7 × 27.3 cm (24 3/4 × 5 × 10 3/4 in.)
Classification
statue
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
160171
Art Historical Context
This elegant wooden statue of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris dates to Egypt’s Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE), when Greek rulers governed the Nile Valley yet Egyptian religious traditions remained deeply rooted. The composite deity merges Ptah, the creator of Memphis, with Sokar, patron of Memphite necropolis, and Osiris, lord of the afterlife. Such figures were placed in tombs to ensure the deceased’s resurrection and eternal protection, reflecting the enduring Egyptian belief in divine mediation between the living and the dead. Crafted from wood coated with a preparation layer, pigment, gold leaf, and tex...
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....