Roman, ca. 100 BCE to 100 CE. A miniature, delicately sculpted silver figure depicting Harpocrates, the god of secrecy and silence, shown with his right forefinger to his lips, a gesture commonly interpreted by Greek and Roman conquerors as an exhortation of silence and hence ascribed to Harpocrates as the god of secrecy and silence. After Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, the Greeks appropriated the Egyptian god Horus to become their deity Harpocrates (literal meaning is "Horus the child"). Horus was regarded as the son of Isis and Osiris who avenged his father's death through several battles with Seth, the legendary god of Chaos. To the ancient Egyptians, Horus symbolized the sun as a newborn. Here we have two miniature representations of Harpocrates as the god of silence, secrets, and confidentiality as interpreted by the Romans. Size: figure measures approximately 1.5" H (3.8 cm)

According to several scholars, Horus' gesture of holding a finger to his lips stems from a realization of the heiroglyph for "child". Later Romans misinterpreted this gesture believing that this gesture indicated silence. Hence, in numerous Roman mystery cults Harpocrates became the god of silence and secrecy.

Provenance: Ex-Bob Brand and Liz Werthan collection, Philadelphia, PA.

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#114029

One with old losses as shown. Overall excellent.