Head of the God Osiris
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Object Label
Most sculptures of deities, including the countless images of Osiris made during the Late and Ptolemaic Periods, were smaller than the statue represented by this head, a dramatic example of a composite sculpture in mixed media. The smiling mouth is a stylistic element that helps date the head to the fourth century B.C. or later. For more information on Osiris, see the installations in Temples, Tombs, and the Egyptian Universe.
Caption
Head of the God Osiris, 305–30 B.C.E.. Wood, bronze, glass, gold leaf, Height: 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 58.94. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 58.94_SL1.jpg)
Title
Head of the God Osiris
Date
305–30 B.C.E.
Period
Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Wood, bronze, glass, gold leaf
Classification
Dimensions
Height: 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
58.94
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.
Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
This is a head of the God Osiris, King of the afterlife. He is shown wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt, that distinctive bowling pin shape.On the front of his crown is a uraeus in bronze. You can see the fine detailing of the body and tail of the cobra carved into the crown itself in raised relief. The uraeus is typically worn by royalty and gods and is a protective symbol.One of the key identifying characteristics of Osiris is his long beard with a curve at the end, shown here. You'll often see people on coffins with the beard, it served to liken themselves to Osiris, king of the afterlife they were trying to gain entrance to.
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