LATE PERIOD, CIRCA 664-332 B.C.

The child god Harpokrates sits atop a lotus umbel, a symbol of rebirth. Although some similar examples bear dedicatory inscriptions naming Harpokrates, the lotus symbolism also evokes Nefertum, the son of Ptah and Sakhmet, and a key part of the triad of ancient Memphis. A close stylistic parallel in Cairo comes from Sa el-Hagar (Sais), and varies from this example only in the position of the hand and the width of the open lotus blossom (see E.S. Hall, “Harpocrates and Other Child Dieties in Ancient Egyptian Sculpture,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 15, pl. XXIV, no. 2). The hollow cylindrical base indicates that it probably formed the top a processional standard; similar examples are also known made entirely of wood.