Isis Figure
Object NameIsis Figure
Date7th-1st cent BCE
MediumWood, bronze, and gilt
Dimensions13 3/8 x 3 x 3 1/2 in. (34 x 7.6 x 8.9 cm)
ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Natural Substances
Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object number5.1.1
Status
Not on viewCollections
CultureEgyptian
Label TextIsis (or Aset) is the reigning female deity in Egyptian mythology. She is defined as the wife of all Pharaohs since she protected the dead body of a Pharaoh on his trip to the afterlife. Through this belief, and as mother of the four gods that protect the canopic jars, she gained a strong association with funerary rites and rituals. Isis is the mother of god Horus. In art, Isis is frequently symbolized by a cow, a cow's head, or in her most common form seen here, a woman with the horns of a cow on her head and a solar disk between them. She is also depicted cradling her son, Horus. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Isis is described as, "She who gives birth to heaven and earth, knows the orphan, knows the widow, seeks justice for the poor, and shelter for the weak."
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Brunnier Main Storage
Object Name: Isis Figure Holding Child Horus
664-31 BCE
Object number: 4.1.5
