An Egyptian Bronze Situla, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664 - 525 BCE

Finely cast using the lost wax method, this fine, tapering vessel features a rolled rim, and rounded bottom with a knobbed base. It is decorated in raised relief, the upper register with two solar barques symbolizing the journey into the afterlife, the wide central register with a priest, incised text above, making an offering to a procession of deities, making offerings to a procession of deities, including Isis with cow-horn crown, Nephthys, and Amun-Ra, each holding the life sign ankh in their right hand and a was scepter in their left, the lower register showing Harpokrates with Hathor cows flanking a lotus, the pointed base in the form of a lotus flower; recurrent in Egyptian descriptions of the birth of the universe.

Background: A Situla was a sacred vessel used for religious ceremonies, the situla is a very small round-bottomed bucket or pail, usually cast from bronze and decorated with mythological motifs. During the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, the situla was carried by the priests of Isis and used in rituals and processions. The situla held holy water from the Nile or milk as a symbol of Isis in her form as a mother goddess.

Dimensions: Height: 5 3/4 inches (14.6 cm)

Condition: Intact and in excellent condition overall.  A very fine example.

Provenance: Georgiou family collection, acquired 1962 and kept until 1997, Munich, Germany. Private collection, Belgium, Mrs. R., 1997-2012, thereafter the Harer Family Trust Collection.