Part of a flail for a statue

This fragment of a flail belonged to a large Osiris statuette or statue. The beautiful multi-colored glass inlay speaks to the stunning quality and craftsmanship of the original piece, which may have utilized other rich materials like precious metals or stones. The statue was probably made out of wood but would have incorporated bronze elements like this flail, a common technique for high prestige, large, and costly cult images. Because this type of mixed media construction was commonly used, pieces such as these, even in their fragmented state, provide excellent clues about the appearance of large-scale temple statuary made from organic materials, much of which is now degraded and lost. The inlay on the piece also shows how craftsmen played with the chromatic possibilities of different materials to create visually dynamic images.