Collection Item

From:UC Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities

Name/TitleCast bronze figurine of Osiris

About this objectOsiris is one of the most important of the ancient Egyptian gods, being god of the afterlife, the underworld and the deceased. He also symbolised death, resurrection, and the cycle of the Nile floods, which were important for Egypt's continued agricultural fertility.

According to one version of myth, Osiris was a wise king who gave laws and civilisation to the people, and taught agriculture. His brother Seth (or Set) was jealous and murdered Osiris, cutting him up into pieces. His sister and wife Isis managed to find all the pieces and wrap them up in linen, then breathed the breath of life into his body, bringing Osiris back to life. This is the first known association to Egyptian mummy wrappings.

This cast bronze figurine is a typical depiction of Osiris. He is represented as a mummified king, with wrappings that left only his hands and face exposed. His skin is often depicted as green, the colour symbolising rebirth. It can also be black, the colour of the Nile floodplain after silt has been deposited from the floods. He wears the atef crown, a crown that identifies the figure as Osiris. The crown combines the white crown of Upper Egypt (Hedjet) with the curling ostrich feathers of the Osiris cult. He is also wearing the royal beard, and carrying the crook and flail, Egyptian symbols of kingship and divinity.

Date Made5th Century BCE

PeriodLate Period (Egyptian)

Place MadeEgypt

Place NotesFrom a tomb in El Amara in the Nile Valley

Medium and MaterialsBronze; Marble (base)

Style and IconographyEgyptian (ancient)

Inscription and MarksBronze plaques read "500 B.C." and "Osiris"

TechniqueCasting (process)

Measurements200 x 50 x 50mm

Subject and Association KeywordsGods in art

Subject and Association KeywordsSocial life and customs

Subject and Association KeywordsFigurative art

Named CollectionThe James Logie Memorial Collection, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Credit LineDonated by Diane Coulbeck, 2014, in memory of her father Maxwell Coulbeck.

Object TypeFigurine

Object number221.14

Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved