Art Institute of Chicago

Statuette of a Lion-headed God, probably Horus of Buto

Egyptian

Date

Late Period (664–332 BCE)

Medium

Copper alloy

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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.

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