The Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the Renaissance

The Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the RenaissanceThe Art and Science of Healing: From Antiquity to the Renaissance

Bust of Harpocrates

Bust of Harpocrates

Bust of Harpocrates Clay 125 x 80 x 66 mm 3rd c. AD Karanis, Egypt University of Michigan Excavations, 1935. KM 6461

This version of Harpocrates takes the form of a bust with the obligatory sidelock and wearing an amulet on his chest, clearly alluding to his role in magic and healing. Certainly, Harpocrates appears in numerous amulets often in the context of protecting the unborn child, such as in one of the uterine amulets. But, as shown in the bronze figurine, Horus would also appear with his mother Isis, encouraging protection for both the mother and child.