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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1956.203
Title
Standing Harpokrates
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
mid 7th-late 1st century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient)
Period
Late Period to Ptolemaic
Culture
Egyptian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/311078

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
overall: 10.3 x 2.4 x 4 cm (4 1/16 x 15/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
figure: 9.3 cm (3 5/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 89.59; Sn, 9.16; Pb, 0.68; Zn, 0.022; Fe, 0.21; Ni, 0.07; Ag, 0.03; Sb, 0.03; As, 0.14; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.071; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The figure is in good structural condition. The surface has been severely abraded during removal of corrosion materials, leaving deep linear marks all over and probably removing evidence of the original surface finish. The facial features seem to have been recarved during this cleaning process as well. The patina is a mottled light green and brown. The hole in the headpiece may have contained an inlay. The attribute in the figure’s left hand is broken off and missing.

This figure was cast by the lost-wax process in one piece with its flat, rectangular base. The details of the braid were modeled in the wax and do not appear to have been reworked much in the metal. The crisp, detailed finish of the facial features is in contrast with the rough delineation of the hands and feet and is probably the product of cleaning sometime after excavation. The base still preserves the end of a sprue that probably served as a tang to mount the piece.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2001)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Reverend Arthur Washburn
Accession Year
1956
Object Number
1956.203
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The striding figure of Harpokrates wears a Double Crown that bears a hole in front for a spiral attachment. He stands on a flat rectangular plate with a cylindrical peg underneath for attachment. The elongated proportions provide a high waist, while angular features mark the face. The reddish-brown patina and light weight of the metal are unusual.

Harpokrates represents the god Horus as a child, shown nude with the side-lock of youth on the right side of his head and his right index finger to his mouth. As the son of Osiris and Isis, he gained immense popularity during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, during which time the production of bronze figurines of Harpokrates flourished. He often wears the Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, a feature common in first millennium Egypt when youthful deities acquired kingly attributes. Another characteristic headdress is the nemes head cloth, although frequently the boy is depicted with either a shaven head or a tight-fitting skull cap. His nude body typically retains the roundness of flesh associated with young boys. The child-god could be represented seated, striding, or squatting. When seated, he assumes a semi-reclining position derived from that of a baby on its mother’s lap; many of the smaller examples of these figurines may originally have belonged with a seated Isis figure (1). Suspension loops for attachment as a pendant indicate an amuletic connection that may have been particularly associated with young children.

NOTES:

1. G. Roeder, Ägyptische Bronzefiguren, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Mitteilungen aus der Ägyptischen Sammlung 6 (Berlin, 1956) 13-17, 104-105, pls. 15-22.


Marian Feldman

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu