Golden Mummies : Figure

Golden Mummies

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Terracotta figurine made in two parts. Originally believed to show an elite lady being carried by porters in a sedan chair, a more likely interpretation of this figurine is that it represents a statue of a goddess being carried in procession by priests. The shrine containing the separately made statue has a female face at the rear, perhaps an apotropaic representation of the image of the goddess herself. Her hand is raised with palm out-turned – a pose encountered in some contemporary images of the deceased.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Production of such terracotta figurines may have coincided with religious celebrations, although they appear to have come predominantly from domestic settings. These once brightly-painted objects were mould made and likely much cheaper than metal images of gods that were given as votives left at temples.</p>