Rework of Isis and Horus to Mary and Jesus
Bode MuseumPortrayals of the nursing Isis in the Greek style provided the template for the nursing Virgin Mary (Maria lac- tans), which was developed in Late Antiquity in Egypt and from there was widely disseminated.
Up to the present day it continues to appear in numerous variations in Christian art. For a long time, the incised image of mother and child (fig. 4) that is currently in the collection of the Museum of Byzantine Art was considered one of the oldest examples.
In reality, the added crosses give the mother-child portrait, in itself neutral, a Christian context. A few years ago, scientific examination revealed remains of a painted inscription that is no longer visible to the naked eye.
They prove that the relief was the grave stele of a young woman, which makes the interpretation of the figure as Maria lactans invalid.
Late Antique and Early Byzantine Egypt
English Translation:
Isis with the baby Jesus?
Isis with the Infant Jesus?
Egypt, 2nd-3rd cent. Century and modern times
limestone
The statue originally represented the goddess Isis with the boy Horus. After its discovery and probably because of its fragmentary state of preservation, it was reworked into an allegedly breastfeeding Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus (Maria lactans). Not much remains of the original figure.
Museum of Byzantine Art | inventory 19/61
Original Text:
Isis mit dem Jesuskind?
Isis with the Infant Jesus?
Ägypten, 2.-3. Jh. und Neuzeit
Kalkstein
Die Statue stellte ursprünglich die Göttin Isis mit dem Horusknaben dar. Nach ihrer Auffindung und vermutlich wegen ihres fragmentarischen Erhaltungszustandes wurde sie in eine vermeintlich stillende Gottesmutter Maria mit dem Jesuskind (Maria lactans) umgearbeitet. Von der ursprünglichen Figur ist nicht mehr viel erhalten.
Museum für Byzantinische Kunst | Inv. 19/61
This is located in Bode Museum.
Supplementary images:
Statue of a breastfeeding mother and child, originally Isis and Horus, reworked to be Mary and Jesus, located in Bode Muse.
Taken on Tuesday 06th of August 2019
Device: Google
Model: Pixel 3 XL
Genre:
2nd-3rd Century
Source: Berlin, Germany
Would you like to explore the origin of Christ’s cross?
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