**Originally Listed At $3000**

Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A beautiful leaded bronze sculpture of the goddess Isis-Hathor seated with her right hand held to her bare breast ready to suckle Harpokrates - the child form of Horus - seated in her lap, whom she supports with her right hand in a maternal manner. She wears an ankle-length sheath over her lower body that accentuates the contours of her form, her traditional vulture headdress with a projecting uraeus and a horned crown with a central sun disk she adopted from the goddess Hathor. Sitting across her lap, Horus is shown nude save for his uraeus crown and his incredibly long side lock of youth, indicating his divine and royal status. All is rendered in impressively preserved detail with incised lines delineating Isis's hair and facial features. As a cult figure from this time period, Isis is often shown as a mother goddess as we see here. A touching portrayal of a tender moment between mother and son. Size: 1.7" W x 5.5" H (4.3 cm x 14 cm); 6.3" H (16 cm) on included custom stand.

During the Ptolemaic period, Isis/Hathor, Serapis, and Horus/Harpocrates formed the Triad of Alexandria, a cult for worshipping the three deities that combined Greek and Roman gods with Egyptian ones. Ptolemy introduced this worship as a way to unify the cultures under his rule. Isis/Hathor was associated with childbirth and fertility and Horus/Harpocrates was the god of silence, secrets, and confidentiality.

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Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Ben Smith collection, Newnan, Georgia, USA, 1980s - 1990s

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#177275

Petite perforation to base and chipping to sun disk. Expected surface wear with some nicks and abrasions, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nicely preserved detail and rich patina throughout.