Harpocrates

Harpocrates
Ancient Egypt, Greco-Roman period, ca. 4th century BC - 1st century AD
Terracotta

Our Object of the Month for December is this small terracotta figure of the Ancient Egyptian god Harpocrates, or ‘Horus the child’. It was chosen for this festive season because Harpocrates and his mother Isis are believed to have been one of the inspirations for early Christian mother and child images. This Harpocrates figure was made from mould-pressed terracotta during the Greco-Roman period of Ancient Egypt. Greek pharaohs ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great’s conquest in 332 BC. In 30 BC Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire after the defeat of Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium. Images of Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses in a Greek or Roman style reflect the influence of Rome and Greece in Egypt during that period of history.

Once pressed into a mould, the craftsman could use tools and knives to refine the image and cut away any excess clay. The figure would have then been fired. The hole in the back of the figure is a vent hole which was deliberately made to ventilate the figure during the firing process. Many figures would have been made using the same mould.

Horus was an Ancient Egyptian sun god who was associated with kings. He was believed to be the son of the gods Osiris and Isis. The terracotta figure depicts Harpocrates wearing a wreath headdress that was made for festivals. The wreath is topped with the royal crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. The combined crowns symbolise Harpocrates’ future right to rule as the son of Osiris, the king of the afterlife. According to the most popular form of the legend of Osiris, he was killed by his brother Seth who was his eternal enemy and represented the hostile desert. Seth then tried to claim that he was the heir to Osiris’ throne, but Horus was able to defeat him in battle.

A man called Hunefer is presented by Horus to Osiris before he enters the afterlife, from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer, papyrus, British Museum collection, museum number EA9901,3, photography by Jon Bodsworth, wikimedia commons

Images of Horus as a young child, known as Harpocrates, were popular during the Greek and Roman periods. In Ancient Egypt, children were depicted with their finger raised to their mouth. This caused the Greeks to misinterpret Harpocrates as the god of silence. This terracotta figure depicts Harpocrates in the Ancient Egyptian pose with his finger to his mouth, but Greek and Roman influence can clearly be seen in the style of his face and curled hair.

Relief panel depicting Harpocrates, Dendera, Roman period, photograph by Aidan McRae Thompson, wikimedia commons

Small terracotta images of Harpocrates are found in temples and homes. They would have been produced cheaply and quickly and may have been used for small household shrines. Images of gods and goddesses who protected children and mothers were popular for use in the home. Common people in Ancient Egypt would not have had many chances to visit a temple and would not have been able to view the main sacred images of the gods and goddesses. Instead, they could own small statues in their homes and they had the occasional opportunity to view processions of temple statues during festivals. The floral wreath that this Harpocrates figure is wearing suggests that it may have been made in celebration of a festival.  

This object is just one of the many objects that form part of Denys Eyre Bower’s five impressive collections which include Ancient Egyptian, Japanese, Buddhist, Stuart and Jacobite, and Books. For more information on these objects, review our Object of the Month series, visit the Historic House and Collections or contact our Curator, Naomi Collick by email or by calling 01892 870347.