Lot Essay
The Eastern desert in Egypt was the source of porphyry, which was highly prized in the ancient world. For an Osiris-Canopus from recent underwater excavations at Heracleion on the Egyptian delta coast, cf. Exhibition catalogue, Trésors engloutis d'Égypte, Paris, 2006, p. 71, fig. 2, p. 78, no. 1.
The cult of Osiris-Canopus, especially popular in the 1st Century A.D., developed around the idea of water being the source of life and death; and, by means of Osiris, the deceased was ensured rebirth.
The cult of Osiris-Canopus, especially popular in the 1st Century A.D., developed around the idea of water being the source of life and death; and, by means of Osiris, the deceased was ensured rebirth.