Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) · statue

Statuette of Sobek

Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian), acc. 1894.260. Public domain (CC0). Copy archived by egyptianinscriptions.org with attribution; original at the holding institution.

Accession: 1894.260
Date: Late Period, Dynasty 26–30, 664–332 BCE
Date range: 664 BCE – 332 BCE
Materials: ['Copper alloy']
Repository: Art Institute of Chicago
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Cite & export

Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian), Statuette of Sobek (1894.260). Egyptian Inscriptions Database. https://egyptianinscriptions.org/object/207961

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Description

Here the crocodile god Sobek, associated with water and the Nile River, wears an elaborate crown adorned with horns, feathers, and a uraeus (sacred serpent). Egyptian gods were commonly depicted with human bodies and animal heads. The animal referred to the god’s personality or characteristics, not his or her appearance. For example, the crocodile head of Sobek alludes to his fierceness. Statuettes like these were offered to the gods to ask for their help or in thanks for their assistance.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A green patinated copper-alloy statuette depicting a crocodile-headed figure standing upright on a rectangular base, with arms raised toward a holding pose.

The image shows a single small standing statuette rendered in dark green/verdigris patina. The figure has the head of a crocodile (Sobek), identifiable by the elongated snout and mouth with teeth-like detailing. The torso is human-like with a straight, narrow chest and a striped or kilt-like garment covering the hips and upper legs. Both arms are raised forward and slightly upward, hands holding what appear to be serpent/crocodile heads or tied elements; a secondary small animal form is visible above/near the raised arms. The statuette stands on a flat rectangular base. No clear hieroglyphic inscription is visible on the body or base at this resolution. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is apparent.

religious Late Period to Ptolemaic/Early Roman (approx.; unclear from image alone) good

Deities Sobek

Materials copper alloy (green patina/verdigris)

Connections

Deities Sobek

Cross-references (1)

ARTIC-id 120299 tier-2

About this record's data

From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian).
AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.