Two Curious Wooden Osiris Figures

Of the many objects housed in the Egypt Centre store, two crudely carved figures of Osiris have intrigued me for some time. W538 and W539 both formed part of lot 469, which was purchased for Sir Henry Wellcome at J. C. Stevens auction house (14–15 July 1931). The lot is described in the auction catalogue as “two wood Osiride figures, 5in. high; 4 terra-cotta groups (1 an equestrian figure) Romano-Egyptian, and a limestone group, in pieces.”

Fig. 1: Wooden Osiris figure (W538)

W538 (fig. 1) is a standing wooden mummiform Osiris figure wearing the Atef-crown. The figure stands in front of an obelisk, both supported on a thick plinth. The back of the obelisk has been hollowed out to create a rectangular niche. The innermost surface of this niche is crudely executed, with deep chisel gauges remaining. W539 (fig. 2) is a seated wooden mummiform Osiris figure wearing the Atef-crown. His seat is depicted as a rough cube with a short plinth for his feet, but any backrest intended has not been delineated from the body of the god. Though the wood is roughly carved into shape, the remains of gesso indicate a more finished surface. A wooden peg remains through the centre of the chest but appears to correspond to a knot in the wood, making it a plug rather than a functional element. Likewise, the back of the figure has been hollowed out to create a rectangular niche. They both measure just over 150mm in height.

Fig. 2: Wooden Osiris figure (W539)

While statues of Osiris are some of the most commonly attested figures of deities during the First Millennium BC, these usually come in the form of copper alloy votives. Wooden figures of Osiris are, of course, known, particularly Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures. Although Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures do often have a cavity in the back, just like the two statues in the Egypt Centre, their iconography is very different. Since I had never seen direct parallels to the Swansea figures, I often wondered whether they were Victorian fakes, perhaps intended to resemble Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures; it was certainly not unusual for Wellcome to purchase fakes at auction! Therefore, I was very excited to see close parallels on display in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, which I visited in December (figs. 3–4). They are of a similar size, depict Osiris seated with an obelisk behind, and each has a cavity in the rear. One of the figures in Vienna (ÄS 951a–b) even has its back panel preserved, which contains an illustration of Osiris. ÄS 955 contained a small statuette of Isis nursing the infant Horus while ÄS 956 contained an elongated mummified mass. The accompanying label notes that in at least one case—although it is unclear if referring to an example in Vienna—a mummified foetus was discovered! These figures have been dated to the Late Period to Ptolemaic Period (c. 664–30 BC).

Fig. 3: Osiris figures in Vienna

Fig. 4: Osiris figures in Vienna

One thing that is clear about the figures in Vienna is that they are all gilded. While those in Swansea are not, I was keen to return to the Egypt Centre in the New Year to take a closer look at our figures and to check if there were any traces of gilding. I was therefore quite excited on Wednesday last week when I was able to spot traces on both figures, particularly on the legs of W539 (fig. 5)! One of the distinguishing features of this type of object seems to be the presence of an obelisk behind the figure of Osiris. Small obelisks were commonly used in the cult of the dead in connection with Osiris. In particular, obelisks were depicted behind certain figures of the god Osiris in the tombs.

Fig. 5: Traces of gilding on W539

What were these figures used for and where might they have been deposited? Following my visit to Vienna, I came across another figure in Bolton (1972.36.A). While this figure is now badly preserved (fig. 6), it does have a provenance. It was excavated by the Egypt Exploration Society at the Sacred Animal Necropolis sometime between 1964–1973. This object was a surface find from the Old Kingdom necropolis (Martin 1981, 107 [nr. 1541]). Other similar figures were discovered within the structures associated with the Sacred Animal Necropolis, including one within block 3. This object is described as being a “seated wooden statuette of Osiris, wearing the White Crown flanked by ostrich feathers. Worn and damaged. The column or pedestal behind is hollowed out to receive a mummy or amulet” (Martin 1981, 30 [nr. 322]). Another, found in the dump to the west of sector 7, is described as a “wooden statuette of Osiris. Back hollowed out, and containing a mummified package.” (Martin 1981, 103 [1407]). Unfortunately, the publication does not note what this mummified package contained.

Fig. 6: Osiris figure in Bolton (1972.36.A)

Knowing that several of these figures originated from the Sacred Animal Necropolis, I decided to look through the EES archival photos, which are available on their Flicker site. I was amazed to see several photos of a similar Osiris statue, which was discovered within a wooden shrine (figs. 7–9). This object and its contents are now in the Cairo Museum (JdE 91108). It was published by Hastings (1997, 27–28 [nr. 88]), who wrote on the sculpture from the Sacred Animal Necropolis. Given how unique this find appears to be, I include here the detailed description provided by Hastings for the statue of Osiris (JdE 91108a):

Fig. 7: EES archival photo of the shrine (SAQ-SAN.SLI.VO.010)

“This curious statue was found wrapped in linen and occupying the left wall of the wooden shrine which also contained a seated figure of Isis suckling Harpocrates, and a miniature faience figurine of the same subject, together with two bronze figures of Harpocrates. The shrine lay in drift-sand a few centimetres above the foundation of the north enclosure wall of the temple.”

Fig. 8: EES archival photo showing the figures found in the shrine (SAQ-SAN.SLI.VO.077)

“It is made in three separate parts: the figure of Osiris, and also the truncated obelisk before which he stands, are carved from two different pieces of wood and slot into grooves in the large rectangular base. Osiris wears a foreshortened version of the atef-crown with uraeus; his right hand is held above the left, and there are no attributes. The eyebrows and rims of the eyes are inlaid with blue glass, the pupils of the eyes are black with white paste surrounds. The statue and obelisk were overlaid with gesso and gilded, but there are no traces of gilding on the base.”

Fig. 9: EES archival photo showing Osiris within the shrine (SAQ-SAN.SLI.VO.011)

This find from the Sacred Animal Necropolis is quite remarkable, particularly as it was found as part of an assemblage. The question remains as to whether any of the other Osiris figures like the ones discussed here were originally deposited in a similar way. Additionally, are they specific to Saqqara or have they been found at other sites? If any readers of this blog know of further examples or research on these figures, I would love to hear!

Postscript

Following the publication of this blog, I was made aware of the detailed article by Musso & Petacchi cited in the bibliography. See also the article by Satzinger.

Bibliography:

Emery, Walter Bryan 1967. Preliminary report on the excavations at North, Saqqara 1966–7, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 53, 141–145.

Green, Christine Insley 1987. The temple furniture from the Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara 1964–1976. Egypt Exploration Society, Excavation Memoir 53. London: Egypt Exploration Society.

Hastings, Elizabeth Anne 1997. The sculpture from the Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara. 1964–76. Egypt Exploration Society, Excavation Memoir 61. London: Egypt Exploration Society.

Martin, Geoffrey Thorndike. 1981. The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara. The southern dependencies of the main temple complex. Egypt Exploration Society, Excavation Memoir 50. London: Egypt Exploration Society.

Musso, Simone and Simone Petacchi 2017. The Osirian obelisk-shaped "reliquaries": new evidence from European collections. In Kóthay, Katalin Anna (ed.), Burial and mortuary practices in Late Period and Graeco-Roman Egypt: proceedings of the international conference held at Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 17–19 July 2014, 337–345. Budapest: Museum of Fine Arts.

Satzinger, Helmut 1998. Osirianische Obelisken in der Wiener Sammlung. In Clarysse, Willy, Antoon Schoors, and Harco Willems (eds), Egyptian religion: the last thousand years. Studies dedicated to the memory of Jan Quaegebeur: part I, 413–423. Leuven: Peeters.

Smith, Harry S. 1974. A visit to Egypt. Life at Memphis & Saqqara (c. 500–30 BC). Warminster: Aris & Phillips Limited.