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Image courtesy Emory Libraries Digitization
Conoid with Canopus of Osiris
Image courtesy Emory Libraries Digitization
Image courtesy Emory Libraries Digitization
Image courtesy Emory Libraries Digitization
ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art

Conoid with Canopus of Osiris

CultureEgyptian
PeriodRoman Period
Datemid 1st-2nd Century CE
MediumMicrocrystalline Chalcedony var. sardonyx
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin
Dimensions1/4 x 3/8 x 1/4 in. (0.6 x 0.9 x 0.7 cm)
Object number2012.032.193
Label TextOsiris-Canopus in the shape of a jar with the head of the god, in profile to left. 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, purchased from Superior Stamp & Coin, Los Angeles, California, May 30, 1995.
Status
Not on view
Collections
  • Greek and Roman Art