© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University

ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Standing Statue of Neith

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 26

Date664-525 BCE

MediumBronze, silver

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions8 1/8 x 1 11/16 x 2 11/16 in., 626 g (20.7 x 4.3 x 6.9 cm, 1 lb. 6 1/16 oz.)

Object number2018.010.785

Label TextThe goddess Neith was associated with creation, motherhood, birth, hunting, and war. Her cult was centered in Lower Egypt, specifically at Sais, the capital of the powerful Saite Dynasty that ruled Egypt from 664 to 525 BCE.

The goddess wears the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. The rising projection at the back and the spiral curl in front are broken. Her inlaid eyes stare straight ahead. She is dressed in a long garment, and her collar with drop beads is etched around her neck. Neith strides forward and extends her left arm outward; her other arm falls at her side. The perforations in her clenched fists were insertions for a separately fashioned staff and ankh.

The left side of the base cuff is inscribed with a votive inscription on the left side of the base that says: “Neith the Great, Mother of the God, giver of life, health, lifetime(?)…” The right side of the cuff is unreadable.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 30.

ProvenanceSaid to be ex Romanov Collection. Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Roger Fernand Galliano, Paris, France.

InscribedLeft: "Neith the Great, Mother of the God, giver of life, health, lifetime(?)..."

Status

Not on view

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