This early depiction represents the king, Menkaure with a falcon god, Horus, protectively spreading his wings around the back of the king's head. Some 2,000 years' later, the same theme is depicted in this statue of Horus as the protector of King Nectanebo II, the last ruler of the 30th Dynasty.
In this statue, Horus is represented as a fiercesome bird of prey, with sharp eyes and dangerous talons. His double crown symbolising dominion over upper and lower Egypt is graced with a rearing cobra or uraeus, another divine protector of the ruler.
This statue is in the late Dynastic period tradition of depicting animal images in hard stone with naturalistic details in the head and feet, while the body and wings are simplified renderings of the natural form.
A similar statuette can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.
Height: 21 cms / 8.5 ins;
Weight: 0.75 kg / 1.8 oz.
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