Statuette of Sobek
Late Period, Dynasty 26–30, 664–332 BCE
- Medium
- Copper alloy
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- 16.7 × 4.5 × 5 cm (6 5/8 × 1 7/8 × 2 in.)
- Culture
- Egypt
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Robert H. Fleming
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Here the crocodile god Sobek, associated with water and the Nile River, wears an elaborate crown adorned with horns, feathers, and a uraeus (sacred serpent). Egyptian gods were commonly depicted with human bodies and animal heads. The animal referred to the god’s personality or characteristics, not his or her appearance. For example, the crocodile head of Sobek alludes to his fierceness. Statuettes like these were offered to the gods to ask for their help or in thanks for their assistance.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
