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Statuette of a mummified falcon

Place of production Egypt
Date 25th Dynasty - early Ptolemaic Period
Object type tomb equipment
Medium, technique Wood, paint
Dimensions

5.5 cm, base: 4.6 × 9.7 cm,

Inventory number 51.1497
Collection Egyptian Art
On view This artwork is not on display

This carved wooden and painted statuette, also known as the akhom falcon, represents the funerary god Sokar in the form of a mummified falcon with a base. The god was primarily the protective god of the Memphite necropolis. Later, in the New Kingdom, it already owned a region in the underworld, where Ra transformed and reborn during his nocturnal journey. The posture of this small falcon could also indicate the transformation, as if it is just being reborn from its red mummy bandages. Perhaps it also indicates the transfiguration necessary for the rebirth of Ra and for every blessed deceased in Osiris’s realm. On the chest is a wide collar (menit collar) with a counterpoise on its back above the closed wings. The green stripe and the pendant above the bird’s breast are also part of the necklace. Wooden falcons such as this one were usually attached to the top of wooden coffins or canopic chests or to the base of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statues.

This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.

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