Harpokrates
| Culture | Roman |
|---|---|
| Origin | possibly Egypt |
| Title | Harpokrates |
| Date | 50–150 CE |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Dimensions | Overall: 9 3/8 × 3 3/16 × 2 1/16 in. (23.9 × 8.1 × 5.2 cm) |
| Credit Line | Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 76.35.43 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A barechested young man stands leaning his weight on one leg, with his left arm bent at elbow, hand forward and partly open, while his right arm is broken off at the shoulder. His facial features are rounded and child-like, framed by mass of curly hair. He wears a small Egyptian double crown, and a cloak is draped over his left shoulder and wrapped around his waist.
During the Ptolemaic period the “Horus-as-Child” manifestation of the god was transformed into Harpokrates (Horus-as-child = Har-pa-khered = Harpokrates). The transformation of “Horus-as-child” into Harpokrates was accompanied by a comparable refashioning of the god’s image. The Egyptian form of the god is represented as a young boy wearing a side-lock and holding his finger to his mouth. The Greco-Egyptian version generally follows the format for a young Eros without wings, with the Egyptian nature of the god provided by the headdress.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Harpokrates | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.35.43