© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art

Intaglio with Osiris-Canopus

AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)

AAT Object Form/Functionheads (representations)

AAT Object Form/Functiongems (worked stones)

Place FoundSinai, Egypt, Asia

CultureEgyptian

PeriodRoman Period

Date1st Century CE

MediumMicrocrystalline Chalcedony var. cornelian

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

Dimensions1/2 x 3/8 x 1/8 in. (1.3 x 0.9 x 0.4 cm)

Object number2012.032.163

Label TextOsiris-Canopus in the shape of a jar with the head of the god, in profile to left. He wears a double-feather crown. A crescent moon below.

From the 1st century BC, depictions of the Osiris of Canopus, whose temple was dedicated in the town of Canopus by Ptolemy III Euergetes I, took the form of a canopic jar with the head of Osiris. The motif may also have evoked Osiris' connection with the Nile waters. The god was closely associated with cults of Isis and Serapis in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, and Osiris-Canopus jars were carried by priests of each cult during religious ceremonies.

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired April 2, 1988.

Status

Not on view

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