Classification
Dimensions
280 x 330 x 160 cm
Date
early 20th century
Period
Material
Iconography
Inventory
Ag.294
ID
Hyp-6406
References
The statue depicts the river as a deity, in the figure of a bearded man. He is nude, save for the mantle that covers one thigh. His left hand holds a cornucopia and leans on the sphinx, the symbol of Egypt, his right hand holds a bundle of wheat to evoke fertility and abundance, the gifts of the river. The sixteen puttos playing around the figure represent sixteen cubits, the ideal level of the Nile flood. The scene is surrounded by the flora (papyrus, lotus) and fauna of the Nile (crocodile, hippopotamus, Egyptian mongoose , ant-eater).
