Early Dynastic Mother & Child

This diminutive yet evocative object, which the Met Museum has listed simply as “A Woman and Her Child“, hails from the very dawn of the Ancient Egyptian Dynastic Period, c. 3100–2900 B.C., known as the 1st Dynasty.

Discovered at Abydos, one of Ancient Egypt’s most sacred sites and a focal point of royal and religious power, this modest figurine was unearthed near the Osiris temple by the Egypt Exploration Fund during their 1902–03 excavations. It was later acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art through a subscription to the EEF’s finds.

Fashioned from faience, a glazed non-clay ceramic material prized for its lustrous finish and vibrant hue (typically a shimmering blue-green symbolic of fertility and rebirth) this figurine stands only 5.3 cm tall. Despite its size, the piece captures a deeply human moment: a woman, possibly a mother, cradling her child. Such imagery may represent not only the domestic tenderness, but also spiritual or symbolic significance; perhaps embodying ideals of protection, fertility, or even divine maternity, notions which would blossom in later iconography of goddesses such as Isis with her son Horus.

This artefact offers a rare glimpse into the personal and devotional expressions of Ancient Egypt’s earliest dynasty. It serves as a quiet testament to the continuity of maternal imagery in Egyptian culture, from prehistory through to the elaborate religious systems of later periods. Modest in material and scale, yet rich in symbolic resonance, it remains a touching survival from a world on the cusp of empire.

Religious and Mythological Symbolism

The depiction of women with children, whether nursing, cradling, or simply seated together, held profound cultural, religious, and emotional significance in Ancient Egypt. These images were not merely sentimental or domestic scenes, though such meanings were not absent. Rather, they occupied a multifaceted role, combining mythological symbolism, religious devotion, and the societal value placed on fertility and motherhood.

One of the most powerful and enduring archetypes in Egyptian religious imagery was the figure of Isis nursing Horus. After the murder of Osiris by Seth, Isis concealed herself in the marshes of the Delta, where she nursed the infant Horus in secret. This act was not only maternal but cosmic, for Horus was the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt and the embodiment of divine kingship. The image of Isis suckling Horus became a symbol of rebirth, legitimacy, and divine protection, particularly associated with the pharaoh, who was considered a living Horus.

Beyond divine parallels, mother-and-child figures were also expressions of human hope and reverence for fertility. In a society where infant mortality was high and producing heirs was crucial, the image of a nurturing mother was a symbol of prosperity, lineage continuity, and divine favour. Such statuettes may have been votive offerings, placed in tombs or temples to invoke blessings of childbirth, protection of children, or even gratitude for maternal care.

While Ancient Egyptian art is often formal and idealised, objects such as this Woman and Child faience figure from the Early Dynastic Period reflect a more personal or communal dimension. These small-scale artefacts, likely not state-commissioned, show that the Ancient Egyptians valued motherhood not only as a cosmic principle but also as a deeply cherished part of everyday life.

In sum, the Ancient Egyptians created mother-and-child statues both to echo divine models like Isis and Horus, and to honour the human experience of maternity, fertility, and continuity. These depictions were sacred, symbolic, and intimate; a testament to how the personal and the cosmic were often intertwined in the Egyptian worldview.

Summary:

Faience statuette of a Woman & Child

Early Dynastic Period, c. 3100–2900 B.C.

From the Osiris Temple at Abydos; Egypt Exploration Fund excavations, 1902-03

Now at the Met Museum. 03.4.16