Statue of the God Horus as a Falcon

This fine limestone statue probably comes from a chapel dedicated to the god Horus, in the vicinity of the tomb of King Djer at Abydos. At the time of the discovery, the statue still retained significant remains of its polychromy. The breast was covered with a gold leaf, and the wings still had, in places, the blue color of which they had been painted.

The inscription tells us that this statue was dedicated to the god Horus during the reign of Amenhotep II by a priest named Ahmose, and that it was later restored by the High Priest of Osiris at Abydos, Yuyu, at the time of Merneptah.

The falcon of Horus stands on a base, the two wings folded over the caudal end. The surface of the statue is smooth, with no indication of plumage details. The tail feathers extend beyond the edge of the base, and descend behind it.

The head, partly restored, is surmounted by the Double Pschent Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. On the front and side edges of the base, between the legs of the bird, as well as between its legs and its tail, on either side, extend hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Many traces of the old polychromy remain: traces of red on the crown and the base, residues of red, blue and yellow in the hollows of the hieroglyphs.

A 3D view model of the statue can be found here.

Translation: 1. Between the paws of the falcon: “The good god, Amenhotep II, loved by Horus”. 2. On the front face of the plinth: “

“… In the beginning Horus was imagined to be a sky god whose image was seen as that of a falcon with outstretched wings, whose eyes were regarded as the sun and moon. Already at the beginning of the early historic period the celestial falcon was equated with the king. To his people the ruler was a manifestation of Horus. The Horus name of the king was written inside a ‘serekh’ (‘palace façade’), surmounted by a falcon. Since not only the sky, but the sun also, were seen as a falcon, the king, sun and sky became identified and this found its final expression as the royal symbol of the winged disc.”

― An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt, by Manfred Lurker (#aff)

New Kingdom, mid 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep II, ca. 1427-1401 BC. Found in three pieces in the upper layer of accumulated rubble west of the tomb of King Djer of the 1st Dynasty in 1895-1896. Now in the Royal Museum of Mariemont, Morlanwelz, Belgium.