Isis and Harpocrates Print

Exclusive to the British Museum, a photographic print showing a statue of the ancient Egyptian goddess, Isis.

The print is part of a range accompanying the British Museum exhibition Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt.

The image on the print is of an ornament depicting the goddess Isis, suckling Harpocrates, the Hellenistic form of Horus, which dates to the 26^th Dynasty, c.664-525 BC. The base of the statue is inscribed with hieroglyphs including the cartouche of King Psamtek I.

Isis was closely linked with motherhood, rebirth and royal power. The divine wife of Osiris, god of the afterlife, and mother of Horus, god of the sky, Isis is often represented, as she is here, nursing her son. In mythology, Osiris was killed and dismembered by his jealous brother Set, who scattered the fourteen parts of his body throughout Egypt. While mourning for her husband, Isis tracked down each of the parts, save one, and resurrected Osiris long enough to conceive Horus.

A wonderful piece of home art for a lover of ancient mythology.