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View at the museum ↗Statuette of a Lion-headed God, probably Horus of Buto
Ancient EgyptianLate Period (664–332 BCE)
- Attribution
- Egyptian
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Physical dimensions
- 25.4 × 13.7 × 6.4 cm (10 × 5 3/8 × 2 1/2 in.)
- Credit line
- Purchased with funds provided by Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
Museum metadata is available under CC0. Image availability and rights are separate; consult the source record.
Source rights statement: Public domain
View the museum record ↗From the museum
Egyptian gods were commonly depicted with human bodies and animal heads. The animal referred to the god’s personality or characteristics, not his or her appearance. For example, this version of Horus, in the guise of the son of the goddess Wedjat, is shown with a lion head, expressive of power. The Greeks and Romans took these mixed forms literally rather than symbolically, and some Classical authors, accustomed to gods in human form, derided the Egyptians for their “ridiculous” gods, dismissing them as “dog-faced Egyptians, dressed up in linen.” Statuettes like these were offered to the gods to askfor their help or in thanks for their assistance.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0