Egyptian
Horus Hawk, about 331 BCE - 323 BCE
Granite , 54.3 x 49.5 x 23.5 cm (21 3/8 x 19 1/2 x 9 1/4 in.)
A sculpture of a hawk set on a rectangular base: both the bird and the base seem to be carved from a single block of granite, which is flecked with dark gray and white throughout. The piece is polished and smooth. The bird’s head has a flattened aspect. Its proud beak and rounded eyes suggest nobility, while its puffed body and talons suggest strength. Its folded wings cross in overlapping bands at the rear. While strong, this bird is in repose. There is a crack at the base from damage.
Courtyard
Commentary
Horus was an ancient Egyptian god who appeared as a falcon and whose eyes were believed to represent the sun and the moon. Between 1874 and 1875, Gardner traveled to Egypt and journeyed down the Nile with her husband. She became enamored with its antiquities and writes in her travel journal a visit to the pyramids that "my heart went out to the Sphinx."