Figure of Shu
1 of 3
Object Label
The Egyptians represented the relationship between sky and earth by showing the body of Nut rising in a majestic arc over the figure of the dark, fecund earth god, Geb. To prevent them from further sexual union after the birth of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys, they were separated eternally by Shu, the god of air.
Shu represented the eternal patterns of change the ancient Egyptians associated with cyclical time (neheh). His sister, the leonine goddess Tefnut, was related to the eternal sameness of linear time (djet).
Like most amulets of Shu, this example shows the god kneeling with his arms upraised. The gesture symbolizes Shu's eternal role as the god who separates the deities Nut (sky) and Geb (earth).
Caption
Figure of Shu, ca. 1070.–653 B.C.E.. Faience, 1 3/4 × 7/8 × 3/4 in. (4.5 × 2.2 × 1.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.954E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.954E_wwgA-1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Figure of Shu
Date
ca. 1070.–653 B.C.E.
Period
Late Period
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Faience
Classification
Dimensions
1 3/4 × 7/8 × 3/4 in. (4.5 × 2.2 × 1.9 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.954E
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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