RAFFMA, EG.01.004.2022
The worship of animals as tokens or images of various Egyptian gods was a religious practice that became popular in the Late Period. Pilgrims to temples might purchase these statues, inscribe them with their names, and leave them in the sanctuaries as ex votos to promote the good will of the gods towards them. This object unfortunately has no inscription on it. This bronze statue represents an ichneumon, a rodent that is related to the mongoose. As a nocturnal hunter, the ichneumon catches and kills insects and reptiles at night. This characteristic inspired the ancient Egyptians to associate the ichneumon with the god Horus the Blind, a protective figure guarding the sun god in his nighttime journey as well as Osiris during his mummfication. This fine example of a bronze statuette is made with the lost-wax technique, and the only one from RAFFMA’s collections that represents this animal.
https://www.csusb.edu/raffma/art/detail?objectId=1394178&size=0
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