Head of Harpocrates

Head of Harpocrates

Date
2nd century BC
Dimansions
Height: 70mm
Width: 30mm
Medium
Terracotta
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Figure of Harpocrates (Egyptian-Greek deity), one of the representations of god Horus as a child of Osiris and Isis. The head of Horus with youthful features, which is crowned with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. A cap is marked above the forehead and on the nape of the neck. Behind the right ear, the curl of youth, an attribute of the sons of Pharaoh and Horus.

The elongated face with a pointed nose and delicate features with a melancholic expression, as well as the straight chin, bring the terracotta close to the youthful images of Ptolemy V (204 – 180 BC). The attribution of the figurine with the portrait of the ruler may be confirmed by the fact that he was the first Ptolemaic ruler, who was crowned at the age of 14 in Memphis according to the Pharaonic ritual (196 BC). The artefact combines Egyptian iconography with soft Hellenistic modelling, which is a characteristic feature of Ptolemaic art.

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