Statuette Of The Goddess Isis Breastfeeding Horus, Egypt, Late Period (664-332 Bc)

Statuette depicting the goddess Isis nursing Horus, Egypt, Late Period (664-332 BC).

Isis is depicted seated, wearing a long, form-fitting tunic and topped with a wig topped with her attribute. She brings her right hand to her breast in a nursing gesture and holds the infant Horus on her lap. The whole is made of bronze with a green patina.

This type of representation illustrates a central episode in Egyptian mythology: Isis, wife of Osiris, raises and protects their son Horus after his father's death. By ensuring the child's survival, she participates in dynastic continuity and world order.

Beyond its religious dimension, this iconography also refers to the image of the queen nursing the royal heir, a theme attested as early as the Old Kingdom. In the Late Period, the cult of Isis underwent significant development; the goddess embodied maternity, protection and the feminine principle linked to the cycle of nature.

These statuettes, often the result of private commissions and deposited in sanctuaries, were intended to promote prosperity, health and protection for the devotee. Moreover, during the first centuries of the Christian era, certain iconographic correspondences were noted between Isis nursing Horus and representations of the Virgin and Child.

Height: 18 cm. with base and 15cm without base
Provenance : former french collection / musée châteaux bourgogne