Falcon-Headed Sun-God

ca. 100–30 B.C.E.

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

In this composition, Eastman Johnson portrayed an enslaved family charging for the safety of Union lines in the dull light of dawn. The absence of white figures in this liberation subject makes it virtually unique in art of the period—these African Americans are independent agents of their own freedom. Johnson claimed to have based the painting on an actual event he witnessed near the Manassas, Virginia, battlefield on March 2, 1862, just days before the Confederate stronghold was ceded to Union forces.

In agony close to her bosom she press’d The life of her heart, the child of her breast:— Oh! love from its tenderness gathering might, Had strengthen’d her soul for the dangers of flight. But she’s free!—yes, free from the land where the slave From the hand of oppression must rest in the grave; Where bondage and torture, where scourges and chains Have plac’d on our banner indelible stains.
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (African American poet), “Eliza Harris” (1854)

Caption

Falcon-Headed Sun-God, ca. 100–30 B.C.E.. Bronze, gold, 4 15/16 in. (12.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 51.147.1. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.51.147.1_wwgA-1.jpg)

Title

Falcon-Headed Sun-God

Date

ca. 100–30 B.C.E.

Period

Ptolemaic Period (probably)

Geography

Place found: Tuna el-Gebel, Egypt

Medium

Bronze, gold

Classification

Accessory

Dimensions

4 15/16 in. (12.6 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

51.147.1

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

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Frequent Art Questions

  • Which god is this?

    It is most likely Re or Re-Horakhty. There were a few deities in ancient Egypt associated with the sun and a lot of them shared similar traits like the falcon head and the sun-disk headdress.
    The feather on his knee, which is a symbol of Maat or truth and balance makes me, personally, lean towards Re-Horakhty. Unfortunately, this one did come with an inscription to let us know for sure!
    Cool, thanks!

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