Finial with nemes and crowned figure, probably Osiris
This object in its form as a figural finial for furniture or a stand belongs to a Greco-Roman tradition.
Most images of the god Osiris in Greco-Roman period are either typical images of the mummiform god or images of Osiris of Canopus where the god takes the form of a jar. But it has been argued that some figures of a male in shendyt kilt and nemes seen in Isaic contexts outside Egypt represent Osiris because they appear against or as pillars. While Egyptologists recognize that historically in Egypt such architectonic figures in fact represented kings, it is difficult to evaluate the understanding of such figures by the Greco-Roman Period and made for Isaic cults. But on the basis of that theory, the bust rising out of the floral element here has been identified as Osiris.
Most images of the god Osiris in Greco-Roman period are either typical images of the mummiform god or images of Osiris of Canopus where the god takes the form of a jar. But it has been argued that some figures of a male in shendyt kilt and nemes seen in Isaic contexts outside Egypt represent Osiris because they appear against or as pillars. While Egyptologists recognize that historically in Egypt such architectonic figures in fact represented kings, it is difficult to evaluate the understanding of such figures by the Greco-Roman Period and made for Isaic cults. But on the basis of that theory, the bust rising out of the floral element here has been identified as Osiris.
Artwork Details
- Title: Finial with nemes and crowned figure, probably Osiris
- Period: Roman Period
- Date: A.D. 2nd–3rd century
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: Height: 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904
- Object Number: 04.2.526
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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A.D. 1st–2nd century
ca. 1st–2nd century
A.D. 1st–2nd century
ca. A.D. 161–180
A.D. 1st–2nd century
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