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Source Description
Pendants with representations of single gods or groups of deities were popular in the 1st millennium BC. This triad displays the juvenile god Harpocrates in the center, depicted as a nude boy with a side-lock and uraeus-serpent above his forehead. To his right his mother Isis is depicted and to his left is Nephthys. The two goddesses have the hieroglyphic signs which represent their names as crowns on their heads; for Isis it is the throne, and for Nephthys the combination of a temple with a basket.The three figures are formed half in the round; they have a rectangular backplate and base. The relationship between these three deities is an important part of the Osiris and Horus myth. Both female goddesses protect the juvenile god of kingship, Horus, against the attacks of his powerful uncle Seth, the god of the wild and uncontrolled nature, who tries to gain control of the universe. The small group is part of a set of nearly identical amulets (together with Walters 48.1673, 48.1675-80). Such amulet groups were placed on the mummy between the wrappings.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
27828
label
Triad of Isis, Nephthys, and Harpocrates
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
5
Source metadata
id
27828
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Triad of Isis, Nephthys, and Harpocrates
description
Pendants with representations of single gods or groups of deities were popular in the 1st millennium BC. This triad displays the juvenile god Harpocrates in the center, depicted as a nude boy with a side-lock and uraeus-serpent above his forehead. To his right his mother Isis is depicted and to his left is Nephthys. The two goddesses have the hieroglyphic signs which represent their names as crowns on their heads; for Isis it is the throne, and for Nephthys the combination of a temple with a basket.The three figures are formed half in the round; they have a rectangular backplate and base. The relationship between these three deities is an important part of the Osiris and Horus myth. Both female goddesses protect the juvenile god of kingship, Horus, against the attacks of his powerful uncle Seth, the god of the wild and uncontrolled nature, who tries to gain control of the universe. The small group is part of a set of nearly identical amulets (together with Walters 48.1673, 48.1675-80). Such amulet groups were placed on the mummy between the wrappings.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
4th-mid 3rd century BCE (Late Period-early Ptolemaic)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
amulets
imageCount
5
pageCount
5
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
3.3
height
1.8
depth
0.3
dimensionsRaw
H: 1 5/16 x W: 3/4 x D: 1/8 in. (3.28 x 1.84 x 0.25 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
dynasty
Ptolemaic Dynasty
med
Egyptian faience with green glaze
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
2172
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
7f2cb1062d922ade
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
9679e9d263e7fb40
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
caa71e3bcd66f472
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
11b08b0a37571fec
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
f09c612e26f79b1a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no