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Horus as a Hawk

CultureEgyptian
Date664-200 B.C.E.
MediumBasalt
DimensionsOverall: 19 1/2 × 17 × 7 inches (49.53 × 43.18 × 17.78 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number34-140
On View
On view
Gallery Location
  • 103
Collections
Gallery Label
Portrayed here as a hawk, Horus, lord of the sky, was one of the chief, oldest deities of Egypt. 

A mythical king of early Egypt, Horus became the patron of pharaohs and supporter of monarchy. Some kings were seen as earthly manifestations of Horus.

The statue probably stood in a temple as a pious gift to the god. The artist has chosen not to render the fine details of the hawk's plumage, thus leaving broad sweeping planes, the very image of power.

Provenance

With Jacob Hirsch, New York, by 1934;

Purchased from Hirsch by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1934.

Published References

The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, The William Rockhill Nelson Collection, 2nd ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1941), 15, fig. 5.

The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, The William Rockhill Nelson Collection, 3rd ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1949), 16.

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 114.

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 10, fig. 23.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


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