Greece, Greco-Roman Period, late Ptolemaic Dynasty / c. 50 BCE
Statuette of Harpocrates
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Statuette of Harpocrates as sculpture (Greece, Greco-Roman Period, late Ptolemaic Dynasty · c. 50 BCE).
The gesture this figure makes refers to the Egyptian hieroglyph for child, nn , 𓀁.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze, hollow cast, with silver inlays.
The museum's collection notes: Combining Hellenistic naturalism with a finger gesture associated with childhood in Egyptian tradition, this young figure represents Harpocrates, the Greek form of the Egyptian child sun god Horus, or Hor-pa-khred. A hole atop his head likely once held a double crown of Egypt, as on more traditionally Egyptian representations of Harpocrates.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtStatuette of HarpocratesOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.