Egyptian Isis statue sculpture - Goddess with the features of 19th dynasty Queen Nefertari

Isis

With the features of Queen Nefertari
19th Dynasty 'God's wife' statue.



Dimensions -

Height - 61 cm / 2 ft

Base width - 12 cm / 4-3/4 inches

Depth - 16.8 cm / 6 - 1/2 inches



On offer here for the first time is a truly stunning replica statue of the Goddess Isis in the form of God's wife. She wears an elaborate crown composed of a central sun disc of Ra, two tall ostrich feather plumes and the horns of Hathor resting on a modius. I made a pair of these and a unique Osiris statue for the film Gods of Egypt and a screen still from the movie can be seen in the last photo.

Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone, this elegant statue has an aged slate black patina with traces of ochre and mineral blue. She is presented on a substantial base that has been polished and felt lined.

This is a statement piece that will add presence to a collection or create a focal point in a minimalist room.



Background information

Crown and headdress components were frequently shared in whole, or in part with other deities as the statue being created had to 'speak' in a visual sense of the attributes bestowed upon it.

The plumes worn by the Queen Goddess are also associated with 'Mut', the wife of the supreme God of the dynasty - Amun. Mut was one of several prominent mother Goddesses but none more so than Isis. The plumes are here referencing the two horizons and therefore a link with the solar and lunar eye. The double Uraeus cobra as seen on the brow references the regenerative and destructive aspects of these celestial eyes as well as being a royal and divine insignia.

The horns of Hathor and disc of Ra were worn by Isis as well. So much so they are often confused and it can be difficult to tell them apart without inscriptional evidence.

The inclusion of the plumes with disc and horns as worn by the Goddess Queen, occured for the first time in the late 18th dynasty and continued strongly through the rest of the New Kingdom and became known as a Heshat crown.

As time passed the Heshat evolved to include some horizontal gazelle horns and became known as the Isis-Sothis crown.

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As with most statues of Gods and Goddesses, the features of the reigning monarchs were infused in the design and the most likely candidate for this statue is Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses the Great. The style of face is very typical of the early years of Rameside sculpture and therefore dates to the time of prominence enjoyed by the great Queen Nefertari, who lived as a Goddess on earth.

She holds the royal whisk sceptre. Isis / Aset - a goddess of mothers and magic, her influence was felt across the Mediterranean and she was worshiped right into Roman times. Her temple on the Island of Philae in the south of Egypt was the last bastion of Egyptian religious culture when the coming wave of Christianity closed the temple doors for the last time and sadly this was where the very last hieroglyphs were written before the ancient written language died out.