Amulet of Isis with Horus-Child

Isis and Horus-Child amulet. The seated female figure wears a tripartite wig and Hathor headdress, which consists of cows’ horns flanking a sun disc. She suckles the child Horus. She supports the child on her lap with her left hand and cups her left breast with her right hand. The goddess is seated upon a feather-patterned throne; a back plinth extends from the top of the throne to the top of Isis/Hathor’s headdress. The throne rests upon a rectangular base.

Amulet: a female deity and child group; perforated.
Clay: dense; Glaze: green.

Historical period(s)
Saite Dynasty 26, Late Period, 664-332 BCE or later
Medium
Faience (glazed composition)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 3 x 1.4 x 1.1 cm (1 3/16 x 9/16 x 7/16 in)
Geography
Egypt
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1907.19
On View Location
Freer Gallery 20: A Collector’s Eye: Freer in Egypt
Classification(s)
Faience
Type

Amulet

Keywords
child, Egypt, Hathor, Horus, protection, Saite Dynasty 26 (664 - 525 BCE), woman
Provenance

To 1907
Unidentified owner, Egypt, to 1907 [1]

From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased in Egypt from an unidentified owner in 1907 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 1839, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

Isis and Horus-Child amulet. The seated female figure wears a tripartite wig and Hathor headdress, which consists of cows’ horns flanking a sun disc. She suckles the child Horus. She supports the child on her lap with her left hand and cups her left breast with her right hand. The goddess is seated upon a feather-patterned throne; a back plinth extends from the top of the throne to the top of Isis/Hathor’s headdress. The throne rests upon a rectangular base.

Amulet: a female deity and child group; perforated.
Clay: dense; Glaze: green.

Collection Area(s)
Ancient Egyptian Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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