This elegantly modeled statuette represents
Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of eternity. He is
depicted in his traditional raiment which consists
of a tightly-fitting, form-revealing shroud from
beneath which the taut, physically-fit forms of
his ankles, calves, knees, thighs, elbows, and
biceps appear. The shroud is designed with two
flared openings for his hands, the projecting
fists of which hold the crook and flail. These are
the traditional attributes of this god which
inextricably link him with his remote, agricultural
origins. The crook symbolizes shepherds and
herdsmen and the flail farmers of grain with
which it was anciently threshed. The cyclic nature
of the plant and animal kingdoms served as
metaphors for resurrection, and these reminded
the ancient Egyptians of the key role Osiris
played in their funerary beliefs.
The god wears as accessories a broad collar
indicated by a series of incised, concentric
circles, the lower one ornamented with stylized
beads as well as a plaited, curved false beard.
His headdress is the atef consisting of the White
Crown of Upper Egypt flanked on each side by an
ostrich feather and fronted by a uraeus, or
sacred cobra.
Ancient Egyptian art at its finest is characterized
by the integration of line and plane in the design
of statuary. Our statuette of Osiris is an
outstanding example of this aesthetic. The figure
is modeled in broad, simplified planes which
imbue our Osiris with an eloquent majesty. That
feeling is enhanced by the sagacious use of
linear adjuncts which indicate the broad collar,
the segmented elements of both the crook and
flail, the braiding inherent in the false beard,
and the ribbing of the ostrich feathers. This
elegance is further enhanced by the proportions
of the slender, attenuated figure, the verticality
of which is accentuated by the long staff of the
crook.
As a result of this aesthetic, our elegant
statuette can be dated to the Saite Period, when
the ancient Egyptian canon of proportions was
transformed, perhaps in response to influences
from the Greek world.
(X.0340)
References:
K. Bosse, Die Menschliche Figur (Glückstadt
1936), page 36, no. 80, the bronze statuette of
Khonsu-ir-di-su [London, The British Museum
14466], dated to Dynasty XXVI by inscription,
which exhibits these same, progressive
attenuated features; and G. Roeder, Ägyptische
Bronzefiguren (Berlin 1956), plate 22, figures e-
h, for other bronze figures of Osiris with
similarly designed, long staved flails, and plate
23, figures a-c, for an example, the quality of
which approaches that of our Osiris.
