Figure of Osiris

Figure of Osiris

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Osiris, ruler of the Netherworld, is shown here in his traditional form, wrapped in an enveloping shroud from which only his head and hands emerge. These hold the crook and flail, symbols of kingship. On his head he wears the atef crown, the tall crown associated with Upper Egypt, flanked by ostrich plumes signifying maat, the cosmic order. A rearing uraeus cobra set on the front of the crown protects the god, ready to spit fire and poison at his enemies. Strapped to his chin is a long, plaited beard that curls up at the end, identifying him as divine. During the late second and first millennium B.C., it became common practice to dedicate figures of Osiris in his temples and shrines, as well as in sacred places honoring other deities and in animal cemeteries. The abundance of these figures reflects this god’s importance, and also the changing cult practices that prompted the wide-scale offering of deity statuettes.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.