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© Bruce M. White, 2014.
Relief of the Goddess Sopdet
© Bruce M. White, 2014.
© Bruce M. White, 2014.
© Bruce M. White, 2014.
ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Relief of the Goddess Sopdet

CultureEgyptian
PeriodLate Period
Date722-332 BCE
MediumLimestone
Credit LineEgyptian Purchase Fund
Dimensions20 x 12 in. (50.8 x 30.5 cm)
Object number2008.054.005
Label TextThe ancient Egyptians associated constellations and stars with deities. The goddess Sopdet represented Sirius, the Dog Star. The ancient Egyptians called this star Sothis. The rising of Sirius on the horizon signalled the beginning of the innundation season and the Egyptian New Year. The ancient Egyptians celebrated the New Year with a festival know as the "Coming of Sopdet." Sopdet appears early in Egyptian religion in the Pyramid Texts, where she is described as the daughter of Osiris. The goddess appears with a star-shaped hieroglyph on her head, and holds a was-scepter.
Exhibition HistoryAfrican Cosmos: Stellar Arts (travelling show), National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC, June 20 - December 9, 2012; Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey, February 27 - August 11, 2013; Michael C.Carlos Museum, January 31 - June 21, 2015
Published ReferencesChristine Mullen Kreamer, et al., African Cosmos: Stellar Arts (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, 2012), 42, catalogue 2.3.
ProvenanceSaid to be ex coll. Gustave Jequier (1868-1946), Neuchatel, Switzerland. Purchased for MCCM by Terry Zuwa, Canada, from William Jamieson (1954-2011) [Golden Chariot Productions], Toronto, Canada.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art