Part from Shrine for a Divine Image
The central panel here is inscribed for the Thirtieth Dynasty king Nectanebo II (reigned circa 360–342 B.C.). It comes from a shrine that presumably held a cult statue of the squatting goddess it depicts. Showing a figure in heavy, enveloping robes like this was a standard way of representing deities and symbolizing protection and the potential for life and regeneration. The resemblance to a wrapped mummy has led some Egyptologists to wonder: Is a mummy a body stylized into a divine image?
The side panels are probably from a different and earlier shrine.
- Medium: Wood, glass
- Dates: ca. 664-342 B.C.E.
- Dynasty: XXVI Dynasty-XXX Dynasty
- Period: Late Period
- Dimensions: 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm) (show scale)
- Collections:Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
- Accession Number: 37.259E
- Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Rights Statement: Creative Commons-BY
- Caption: Part from Shrine for a Divine Image, ca. 664-342 B.C.E. Wood, glass, 14 3/16 x 9 1/4 in. (36 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.259E. Creative Commons-BY
- Record Completeness: Good (76%)