Statuette of Nefertum or Khonsu

Artist Unidentified

Period New Kingdom Period (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1070 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 20 (Ancient Egyptian, 1186–1070 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt, reportedly from Karnak (Thebes)

Date20th Dynasty (1189–1077 BCE)

Dimensions6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)

MediumSolid cast bronze

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1906.107

Not on View

DescriptionThis bronze figure represents a striding male deity who may be Nefertum, though an earlier identification as Khonsu remains possible. He wears a tall crown. The figure has tightly curled hair, a false beard, and a pleated kilt. Both arms are preserved: the left bent forward, the right at his side, each fist drilled for missing attributes. The figure is smaller than the paired statues of Amun and Mut and uninscribed. A tang projects below the base.

Label TextThis statuette depicts Khonsu, the son of the goddess Mut and the god Amun, key deities of the Theban Triad. Khonsu was a moon god associated with time, healing, and protection. He is often portrayed as a young man with a sidelock of youth, wearing a lunar disk and crescent atop his head.Published ReferencesLuckner, Kurt T., "The art of Egypt, Part 2," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, new series, vol. 14, no. 3, Fall 1971, p. 69, repr. fig. 10.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Mummies: From Egypt to Toledo, February 3- May 6, 2018.