Late Period, 664-332 BC. A gold plaque with a scene with Osiris seated on a throne wearing the atef crown, holding a crook, flail and Was sceptre; in front a tall column with lotus flowers tied to the top; an offering table in front of the column with two tiers of food, vases at the base; in front of the table a male and female, both wearing long robes and wigs, arms upraised in worship; vertical bands of hieroglyphs to the top of the scene; mounted in a custom made frame. 182 grams total, 13cm including frame (5"). From an important European collection; formerly with German Gallery in the 1970s. The scene shows the deceased and his wife entering the halls of paradise where they greet, and worship, the god Osiris, enthroned as the Lord of the Afterlife. Such scenes were common for copies of the Book of the Dead, being the ultimate goal for all Egyptians as they traversed the perilous path to the next world; representations on gold are rare and must have been made for a wealthy member of Egyptian society. Osiris, along with his brother Seth, and sisters Isis and Nepthys, were the offspring of Geb, the Earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. Being the first born Osiris was destined to be the ruler of the world, along with his sister Isis, whom he took as a wife. Seth, in his jealousy of the power of Osiris, murdered him and dismembered his body, throwing the remains into the Nile. Isis and Nepthys search for the remains, gathering each part and eventually mummifying the body, where they mourn over the dead king. Isis, through her magical powers, brings Osiris back to life and conceives a child, Horus, whom she nurtures in the swamps of the Nile Delta to protect him from Seth. When Horus comes of age he engages his uncle in a battle and defeats him, thus becoming the rightful ruler. The story is an allegory for the triumph of good over evil, the power of the sun over darkness, a preoccupation of the Egyptians with maintaining the stability of the Universe that could be achieved by worshipping the gods.

Fine condition. Very rare.