Statue of Horus
Ancient Egyptian
-305–-30
- Medium
- Basalt
- Dimensions
- 52 × 48.5 × 18.8 cm (20 1/2 × 19 × 7 3/8 in.)
- Genre
- statue
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Styles
Tags
stonebasalt (basic igneous rock)falconsanimalsgods (deities)ptolemaicsculpturebirdsancient artcarvingstatuetteegyptianancientstatue
About
From the appearance of the first kings in Egypt (about 3000 BCE), the ruler was considered to be the earthly manifestation of Horus, the god of divine kingship. Statues of Horus in the form of a falcon like this one were displayed in temples as part of the royal cult, which celebrated the ruler’s role as an intercessor between humans and gods.
