Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Statuette of Princess Sebeknakht Nursing her Son
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
This intimate work depicts the princess Sebeknakht nursing her unnamed royal infant. Her identity is revealed by the uraeus on the brow and the inscription on the base. The group probably alludes to representations of the goddess Isis with her child Horus, imagery that is otherwise known only from later periods. The statuette was intended to protect mother and child, a major concern of Middle Kingdom magical practice that also encompassed the royal family.
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