Art Institute of Chicago

Relief Plaque Depicting the God Horus as a Falcon

EgyptianLinkedCulture matchlcp-b3f2759025d0

Date: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period (664–30 BCE)
Medium: Limestone
Culture: Egypt
Department: Arts of Africa
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 136453

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

Horus, shown as a falcon or a falcon-headed man, was one of the most important gods of the Egyptian pantheon. First appearing about 3000 B.C. Horus continued to be revered through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Each Egyptian king was considered to be the “Living Horus on Earth.” The king would often wear a double crown, which symbolized rule over both Northern and Southern Egypt. Here Horus is shown wearing such a crown,confirming the king’s shared identity with the god. Behind Horus is the disk of the sun, protected by a uraeus, a snake symbolizing royalty, from which hangs an ankh, the sign for life.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Museum Purchase Fund
Provenance: Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago through James Henry Breasted as agent, 1920.