Osiris

Late Period, 26th Dynasty (664-525 B. C.)

Copper alloy, hollow cast with iron armature, with separate ateffeathers; precious-metal leaf over gesso ground; eye sockets and beard inlaid H. 106 cm (giLi in.), W. 24.5 cm (gVs in.), D. 25.5 cm (10 in.)

Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden (AB 161)

[cat. no. jg]

Provenance; unknown, possibly Thebes; acquired with the Giovanni d'Anastasi collection in 1829

Selected References: Leemans 1840, p. 11, no. A 554; Boeser 1907, p. 139, no. E. XVIII.25; Maarten J. Raven in Akkermans et al. 1992, pp. 20-22, no. 3; Schneider and Raven 1997, p. 118, no. 184

Osiris is represented here with the crown and scepters befitting his position as king of the netherworld. His atef crown consists of a central miter flanked by two separately cast ostrich feathers, each fixed in two slots cut at the sides of the miter. The recessed striations of the feathers are inlaid with colored paste (green, with brown in the tips). There is a uraeus serpent above the brow, its body extending upward to the tip of the miter. The god's face is rounded, with well-modeled lips, nose, and ears. The recessed eyes are provided with inlays of light and dark stone. The long cosmetic lines, rims, and brows and the straps and plaited pattern of his false beard are likewise inlaid with strips of stone (now discolored, these were possibly gray, brown, or blue). The sturdy neck is set upon a body that was given few details and which is rather flat in profile. The lower arms lie crossed over the chest; the fists, with their modeled fingers, hold the crook and flail scepters, which cross yet again and have plain handles that protrude a little from underneath the fists. The pendants of the flail have a rather coarsely executed bead pattern. The figure's calves and knees have been indicated, but not the shins nor the separation of the feet. There is no plinth under the feet, just a hollow square protrusion about 12 centimeters long. A transverse pin through this tenon helped to secure the statue onto a base.

The statue's elaborate casting features were revealed during restoration in 1990. Hollow cast

In order not to waste valuable metal, it originally had a clay core, which was removed during restoration. On that occasion, a square iron armature was detected running from head to feet that was acting as a support. Iron cross-supports were evidently used to help anchor the core to the casting mold. These are visible (their ends protruding through the bronze wall) on the central axis above the insteps, on the belly, and under the fists; on the chest to either side of the fists and above the scepters; and laterally at the left hip and at both shoulders. The tenon under the feet was partly miscast and repaired in plaster, presumably in modern times. The entire metal surface was covered in white gesso and then overlaid in gold leaf. As a result of corrosion, large patches of the outer skin had fallen off; these areas have been restored. The tip of the crown, the uraeus protome, the right feather, and the tip of the left feather were likewise reconstructed during the 1990 restoration.

Unfortunately, the original provenance of the statue is unknown. The crossed position of the hands seems to suggest an Upper Egyptian origin. Similar large Osiris figures have been discovered at Medinet Habu, and some of these seem to date to the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. Such a date would accord with this Osiris, whose elegant proportions do not resemble the squatter anatomy of statues made during the previous period of Sudanese rule.