The Falcon of Horus – wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt – is an image of divine kingship. The king was associated with the sky god as the “Living Horus,” and he was thought to represent the rule of the gods on earth. Horus is designated by two primary deities: Horus the Elder (or Horus the Great), the last born of the first five original gods, and Horus the Younger, the son of Osiris and Isis.
From the appearance of the first kings in Egypt (about 3000 BCE), the ruler was considered to be the earthly manifestation of Horus, the god of divine kingship. Statues of Horus in the form of a falcon like this one were displayed in temples as part of the royal cult, which celebrated the ruler’s role as an intercessor between humans and gods.
Statues such as this were sometimes used as containers (canopic jars) for the preserved internal remains of humans and animals.
The form of this statue – with its double crown – is similar to one unearthed near Aswan from 663-525 BCE.
This handcarved marble piece was hand carved by artisans in the Nile Valley near Aswan. I acquired from a collector who bought it from the carver in the 1950s.
In excellent condition with visible hieroglyphics around the base. Stands not included.