The Fertility of Egypt
Plaquette
ca. 1480-1520 (made)
ca. 1480-1520 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This bronze plaque was made after an antique sardonyx relief known as the Tazza Farnese, formerly in the possession of the wealthy leading Florentine Lorenzo de'Medici (1449-1492) and now in the Museo Nazionale, Naples.
This plaquette depicts an allegory of the Nile, shown here as a beareded river-god holding a horn. In the foreground the goddess Isis is seated on a Sphinx, and behind her in the centre is her son Horus. On the right are two goddesses which could represent the seasons. Above fly two naked youths, the Estesian winds, bringing the summer rains that flood the Nile.
This plaquette depicts an allegory of the Nile, shown here as a beareded river-god holding a horn. In the foreground the goddess Isis is seated on a Sphinx, and behind her in the centre is her son Horus. On the right are two goddesses which could represent the seasons. Above fly two naked youths, the Estesian winds, bringing the summer rains that flood the Nile.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Fertility of Egypt (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Plaquette, the fertility of Egypt; bronze. Italian ca. 1480-1520. |
| Physical description | Bronze plaquette depicting an allegory of the Nile; the river-god is seated on the left holding a horn. In the foreground, a female figure wearing the dress of a priestess of Isis and seated on a Sphinx, represents Euthenia the Goddess of Plenty. Behind her, in the centre, Triptolemus (Horus) strides to the left holding a primitive plough. On the right two female figures represents either the two branches of the Nile, or Spring and Autumn, the seasons in which the Nile overflows. Overhead fly two naked youths, the Etesian winds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This bronze plaque was made after an antique sardonyx relief known as the Tazza Farnese, formerly in the possession of the wealthy leading Florentine Lorenzo de'Medici (1449-1492) and now in the Museo Nazionale, Naples. This plaquette depicts an allegory of the Nile, shown here as a beareded river-god holding a horn. In the foreground the goddess Isis is seated on a Sphinx, and behind her in the centre is her son Horus. On the right are two goddesses which could represent the seasons. Above fly two naked youths, the Estesian winds, bringing the summer rains that flood the Nile. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.18-1930 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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