Egypt, Romano-Egyptian Period, ca. 30 BCE to 2nd century CE. A votive figure, mold-made from coarse red clay, with a design of the sacred bull god, Apis. He wears a crown commonly associated with Hathor and Isis - bull horns around a sun disk. The bull is striding forward purposefully between two columns and under a heavy lintel, situating him within the architecture of a temple. Size: 1.75" L x 2.6" W x 3.5" H (4.4 cm x 6.6 cm x 8.9 cm)

The worship of Apis, centered around the city of Memphis, was so extensive in Egypt that the Greeks and Romans who came to rule the area wrote about it repeatedly. Apis was one of the most important of the sacred animals of Egypt and the famous French archaeologist Mariette, excavating at the Serapeum of Saqqara, found the mummified remains of more than sixty bulls, some buried in their own separate tombs. Votive figures like this one were sold outside of temples to be given as offerings; they also were sometimes placed into tombs.

Provenance: Ex- private collection of S. Cooper, Rhode Island

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#120149

Small crack repaired on lower part of base at front.