LATE PERIOD, 26TH DYNASTY, 664-525 B.C.

Impressive for the solidity of her female form, this statue is recognizable as the goddess Neith, patron of Sais both by the dedicatory inscription “to Neith, who gives life and health” on its base and by her typical attributes: the Red Crown of the North atop her head, and the ankh-sign (now mostly missing) in her right hand. In her left hand, she once held a papyrus scepter. The eyes are inlaid and gilded, and several rows of her broad collar are incised, along with her bracelets and armbands. Her body is rendered with large breasts, narrow waist, and broad hips. Her open face has large eyes, a straight nose, and a slight smile, traits of Dynasty 26 portraiture.

The inscription on the base mentions “Wen[en]nefer, son of Osorki”, a name evoking perhaps the Libyan origins of earlier rulers such as Osorkon. The understanding of the rest of the inscription is unclear, seemingly mentioning “…the House, she who belongs to the House of Neith, Heren (?)”. It is most likely that this votive statue was dedicated to Neith at her main temple at Sais. A close parallel in The Metropolitan Museum (08.202.9) also bears a dedicatory inscription, though it probably derives from Memphis rather than the Delta. Hill has recently attempted to elucidate the means by which donations of land were made as part of the process of donating small bronze statuary of high quality such as this example (see “Small Divine Statuettes: Outfitting Religion,” in Masson-Berghoff, ed., Statues in Context: Production, Meaning and (Re)uses, pp. 35-49).