Ancient Egyptian Bronze Isis breastfeeding Harpocrates figure. Late Period, 664 - 332 B.C. 10.5 cm height.

Isis breastfeeding Harpocrates figure.

Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 - 332 B.C.

Bronze.

10.5 cm height.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, France. Acquired before the 1970's.

CONDITION: Good condition.

DESCRIPTION: The goddess Isis, according to the stories, was the daughter of Gueb and Nut, sister of Osiris, whose wife she was also considered. This deity was named as; «Great magician», «Great mother goddess», «Queen of the gods», «Fertilising force of nature», «Goddess of motherhood and birth».

Osiris reigned in ancient Egypt with peace, harmony and wisdom. The Nile fertilized the land and the crops were bountiful. One day, Osiris went on a journey to meet other civilizations and left the kingdom under the command of his wife Isis. Seth, his envious brother, felt humiliated as he believed that he should rule and not Isis. On his return Osiris was assassinated by her brother and the goddess Isis, aided by other divinities such as Nephthys and Anubis, searched for and found her husband's chopped-up body, put it back together and, through special rites, brought him back to life. After that she physically joined her god becoming pregnant by him. Osiris's posthumous son would be Horus as a child, Harpocrates, who would later avenge his father by fighting Seth.

Being one of the main deities, Isis was venerated throughout the history of Egypt, and in the last era her largest temple was erected on the island of Philae. The Greco-Roman world adopted her characteristics associating them with Aphrodite and Venus. Another of the main aspects of her: the condition of "mother of the god" would also be relevant in her cults, influencing Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity.

Harpocrates, or Horus child, is a native of Heliopolis, as the son of Isis and Osiris. He was revered in many other temples, as at Edfu, Thebes, Copts, Mendes, in which he was adored taken with other forms of Horus. Harpocrates is the living symbol of the sunshine at the arrival of spring. He was born after the death of his father Osiris. He is represented as a weak child, who had to be hidden by his mother, the goddess Isis, in the marshes of the Nile Delta, to protect it from the evil Seth, his father's brother. But just as the weak morning sun becomes a powerful sun, the child becomes the strong god Horus in order to revenge the death of his father, by fighting Seth. This is how his mother, Isis, made him the great Horus to rule over men and gods.





Notes:

- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.