ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art
Statuette of a Kneeling Worshipper
Possible OriginAswan, Egypt, Africa
CultureEgyptian
PeriodLate Period
Date722-332 BCE
MediumBronze
Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation
Dimensions2 1/2 x 1 1/16 x 1 1/2 in., 180 g (6.4 x 2.7 x 3.8 cm, 6 3/8 oz.)
Object number2018.010.775
Label TextThis bronze figurine represents a kneeling priest named Hapiu, resting on a small base and supported by a back pillar. Hapiu wears a belted, wrapped kilt and sits on the back of his heels with his arms stretched above his knees in a position of worship. The incised lines of his kilt indicate the pleating of fine linen. His smooth head indicates it was shaven or covered with a skull cap. The eyes may have once been inlaid with a lighter metal. The back pillar reads: “the lector-priest of the Osiris-Apis, given life, Hapiu…” The ancient Egyptian name Hapiu means “the Apis is Coming” (Hp-iw = tPN 237,5). Hapiu was probably shown worshipping a bronze Apis bull, now lost. In ancient Egypt, the Apis bull was the living incarnation of the Egyptian creator god, Ptah, and a powerful entity who delivered oracles, made prophesies and told fortunes for the many pilgrims that visited his sanctuary. Upon the death of the Apis bull, lector priests would shave their bodies for rituals of mourning and embalming. Once transformed into the Osiris-Apis, the bull was buried in a huge stone sarcophagus in a religious complex known as the Serapeum in Memphis.
ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Jean-François Mignon, Aix-en Provence, France.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art
282-246 BCE
722-655 BCE
722-655 BCE
664-525 BCE
1292-1191 BCE
664-525 BCE
late 2nd-mid 3rd Century CE
early 3rd Century CE
690-655 BCE
1980-1760 BCE
ca. 1334-1324 BCE
1076-944 BCE