Egyptian amethyst pendant of Harpocrates
Middle to New Kingdom, 11th-20th Dynasty, 2040-1069 BC
Height: 2.2 cm
Carved from amethyst, the tiny figure of the child god, Harpocrates, stands bald headed, his left arm by his side, his right hand raised with index finger held to his lips. Fine gold wire is wrapped around the neck, raised arm and torso then twisted up the back to attach the gold suspension loop behind the head. This is a rare form of attachment but practical for this size of stone amulet as it is not necessary to drill a hole in the figure.
Harpocrates, translating as Horus the child, was the son of Isis and Osiris, born in the papyrus marshes of the Delta. For the ancient Egyptians the young god represented the newborn sun, the daily renewal of life. Later the Greeks and Romans mistook the symbolism of the finger raised to the lips and adopted him as the god of silence and secrecy. Infact the raised finger is a realisation of the hieroglyph for child.
Literature: Published: Rupert Wace Ancient Art, 2016, no. 18.
A lapis lazuli amulet of Harpocrates depicted in the same form, though cruder in its carving, is in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Inventory no 1892:230). This slightly larger example is pierced through the shoulders for attachment.
Provenance: Private collection New York, USA, acquired in Paris 1979
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Middle to New Kingdom, 11th-20th Dynasty, 2040-1069 BC
Height: 2.2 cm
Carved from amethyst, the tiny figure of the child god, Harpocrates, stands bald headed, his left arm by his side, his right hand raised with index finger held to his lips. Fine gold wire is wrapped around the neck, raised arm and torso then twisted up the back to attach the gold suspension loop behind the head. This is a rare form of attachment but practical for this size of stone amulet as it is not necessary to drill a hole in the figure.
Harpocrates, translating as Horus the child, was the son of Isis and Osiris, born in the papyrus marshes of the Delta. For the ancient Egyptians the young god represented the newborn sun, the daily renewal of life. Later the Greeks and Romans mistook the symbolism of the finger raised to the lips and adopted him as the god of silence and secrecy. Infact the raised finger is a realisation of the hieroglyph for child.
Literature: Published: Rupert Wace Ancient Art, 2016, no. 18.
A lapis lazuli amulet of Harpocrates depicted in the same form, though cruder in its carving, is in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Inventory no 1892:230). This slightly larger example is pierced through the shoulders for attachment.
Provenance: Private collection New York, USA, acquired in Paris 1979
Enquire
Middle to New Kingdom, 11th-20th Dynasty, 2040-1069 BC
Height: 2.2 cm
Carved from amethyst, the tiny figure of the child god, Harpocrates, stands bald headed, his left arm by his side, his right hand raised with index finger held to his lips. Fine gold wire is wrapped around the neck, raised arm and torso then twisted up the back to attach the gold suspension loop behind the head. This is a rare form of attachment but practical for this size of stone amulet as it is not necessary to drill a hole in the figure.
Harpocrates, translating as Horus the child, was the son of Isis and Osiris, born in the papyrus marshes of the Delta. For the ancient Egyptians the young god represented the newborn sun, the daily renewal of life. Later the Greeks and Romans mistook the symbolism of the finger raised to the lips and adopted him as the god of silence and secrecy. Infact the raised finger is a realisation of the hieroglyph for child.
Literature: Published: Rupert Wace Ancient Art, 2016, no. 18.
A lapis lazuli amulet of Harpocrates depicted in the same form, though cruder in its carving, is in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (Inventory no 1892:230). This slightly larger example is pierced through the shoulders for attachment.
Provenance: Private collection New York, USA, acquired in Paris 1979