Statue of Isis

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Statue of Isis

Place of OriginRoman Empire

Dateabout 150 CE

DimensionsH: 45 1/4 in. (114.9 cm).

MediumMedium-grained white marble

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

2005.46

Not on View

DescriptionThe statue depicts the Egyptian goddess Isis standing upright on an integral plinth. The figure is draped in a long, sleeved chiton beneath a voluminous linen himation (mantle), which is wrapped around her shoulders and chest in a manner forming the characteristic Isis knot between the breasts. The garment is treated with elaborate, overlapping folds that cling and fall around the body in rhythmic pleats, showcasing a high degree of sculptural refinement. Both arms are missing above the elbows, and the head is also absent; evidence suggests all three were originally carved in one piece with the torso. The left foot is preserved; the right is damaged with the pinky and second toe missing. The figure's posture and surviving anatomical details suggest the right arm was raised—possibly holding a sistrum—while the left was lowered, likely grasping a ritual vessel such as a situla or ewer. The back and sides are finished, indicating the statue was intended for viewing in the round. It is currently displayed on a separate green marble base, which accompanied the work at the time of acquisition.

Label TextEven without a head or arms, the knotted mantle at the chest marks this figure as Isis, a goddess of African origin whose cult began in ancient Egypt. In Roman art, this detail helped distinguish Isis from other deities as her worship spread across the empire. Though carved in Roman style, the statue’s form reflects its Egyptian roots. In North Africa, where her cult remained strong, Isis was honored as a divine mother, healer, and protector—roles deeply tied to her origins along the Nile.Published ReferencesChristie's advertisement, Minerva: The International Review of Art & Archaeology, vol. 16, no. 3, May/June 2005, repr. (col.) inside front cover.

Antiquities, sale no. 1531, Christie's, Rockefeller Center, New York, June 8, 2005, lot 169.

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 102-103, repr. (col.) p. 103.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Mummies: From Egypt to Toledo, February 3- May 6, 2018.Comparative ReferencesSee also Ermanno A. Arslan, with Francesco Tiradritti, Monica Abbiati Brida, and Alessandra Magni, Iside: il Mito, il Mistero, la Magia, exhibition catalogue, Milan, Palazzo Reale, 22 February - 1 June, 1997 (Milan, Electa 1997).

cf. R. E. Witt, Isis in the Graeco-Roman World, rev. of 1977 edition (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1997).

cf. Norma Goldman, "Isis revealed: cult and costume in Italy," in Donald M. Bailey (ed.), Archaeological Research in Roman Egypt (The Proceedings of the Seventeenth Classical Colloquium of The Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, held on 1-4 December, 1993; Ann Arbor, MI: Journal of Roman Archaeology, Suppl. Series no. 19, 1996) 246-258.

cf. Johannes Eingartner, Isis und ihre Dienerinnen in der Kunst der römischen Kaiserzeit (Mnemosyne: Bibliotheca classica Batava, Suppl. 115; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1991).

cf. Tran Tam Tinh, "Isis, " in Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC), vol. V.1, pp. 761-796,esp. sections 2 and 4; vol. V.2, pls. 501-526.

cf. Marie Christine Budischovsky, La diffusion des cultes isiaques autour de la mer Adriatique, (EPRO 61; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1977).

cf. S. Kelley Heyob, The Cult of Isis among Women in the Graeco-Roman World, (EPRO 51; Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1975) 37-52.

cf. A. Roullet, The Egyptian and Egyptianizing Monuments of Imperial Rome, (EPRO 20; Leiden: E. J. Brill 1972) 90-96, figs. 132-157, lists 24 Isis statues from Rome.