Part from Shrine for a Divine Image
ca. 664-342 B.C.E.
Maker Unknown
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
The central panel here is inscribed for the Thirtieth Dynasty king Nectanebo II (reigned circa 360–342 B.C.). It comes from a shrine that presumably held a cult statue of the squatting goddess it depicts. Showing a figure in heavy, enveloping robes like this was a standard way of representing deities and symbolizing protection and the potential for life and regeneration. The resemblance to a wrapped mummy has led some Egyptologists to wonder: Is a mummy a body stylized into a divine image?
The side panels are probably from a different and earlier shrine.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Furniture
- Formatted Medium
- Wood, glass
- Locations
- Reportedly from: Abusir, Egypt
- Dynasty
- Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 30
- Period
- Late Period
- Dimensions
- 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm)
- Accession Number
- 37.259E
- Credit Line
- Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Exhibitions
- Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Egyptian Art
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
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