Roman — Statuette of Harpocrates with a dog — 1st Century A.D

Specimen observed during Antikarts catalog integration. The record is prepared from the technical and provenance information provided by the source. Photographs are preserved as condition evidence at the time of cataloguing.

Item: Statuette of Harpocrates with a dog. Material: Pottery. Culture: Roman. Period: 1st Century A.D. Dimensions: 125 mm x 72 mm. Condition: Good condition.

Context markers: Roman. Dating indicated: 1st Century A.D.

Reference record preserved for study, comparison and documentation.

Provenance: Ex German private collection, W.F., Munich, acquired before 2000s Harpocrates was the Greco-Roman adaptation of the Egyptian child-god Horus the Child (Horus Harpocrates), who was represented as a young boy with a sidelock of youth and a finger to his lips. In Roman times, Harpocrates became a popular deity associated with silence, secrecy, and mystery, a reinterpretation of the Egyptian gesture of childhood (finger to the mouth) as a command for silence. This made him especially appealing in the context of Roman mystery cults and esoteric philosophies, where silence was considered a virtue and a mark of the initiate.. Record preserved in the Antikarts Museum as a documentary reference. Stored documentary source: https://www.yourantiquarian.com/product/roman-statuette-of-harpocrates-with-a-dog/.