Lot 83
83
A TERRACOTTA CORN OSIRIS
A TERRACOTTA CORN OSIRIS

DYNASTY XXVI TO PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, 664-30 B.C.

Details
A TERRACOTTA CORN OSIRIS
dynasty xxvi to ptolemaic period, 664-30 b.c.
The brick-shaped object with a detailed sunk relief depicting the god Osiris in right profile
11 in. (27.9 cm.) high
Provenance
Nefer Antike Kunst, Nefer 9 (1991), no. 48, p. 37.

Lot Essay

In ancient Egyptian ritual celebrations of the mystery of rebirth such images of Osiris would have been filled with fertile earth and sewn with seeds of wheat and barley. The planting was accomplished so that the grain would sprout during the celebration of Choiak, the annual festival celebrating the resurrection of Osiris.