The nude, bronze figure of Harpocrates, a Ptolemaic god, stands on a double square platform. The figure stands erect with its left arm, to our right, held straight down at its side. The right arm, to our left, is bent with the index finger pointing toward its lips. From the right-angle view, we can see that the finger is pointing to, but not touching, the lips. The face looks directly out towards us. On the figure’s head is a crown, with a cone-shaped piece on top. While the figure is erect, the left foot is extended in front of the right. From the back view, we can see that a hairlock extends from the crown to our right. The figure has a green tint from oxidation, while the bottom, larger square base is black.
Greco-Roman
Harpocrates,
4th century BCE - 1st century CE
Bronze
,
40.5 cm (15 15/16 in.)
Object details
Accession number
S15w8
Primary Creator
Greco-Roman
Full title
Harpocrates
Creation Date
4th century BCE - 1st century CE
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by 1882.
Dimensions
40.5 cm (15 15/16 in.)
Display Media
Bronze
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Early Italian Room
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), pp. 101-02. (Egyptian, probably Ptolemaic, though possibly as early as Saite)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), p. 2, no. 2. (Egyptian, probably Ptolemaic or Graeco-Roman)
Rights and reproductions
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.