Demeter and the infant Harpocrates, decorative wall panel, Pompeii, 1st cent. AD
Demeter (Isis, Ceres, Fortuna) wears the cylindrical 'modius' jar (a grain measure) on her head and carries a cornucopiae (horn of abundance) in her left hand and a rudder and globe in her right. Her gaze is directed towards the infant Harpokrates (Horus) in a crouching pose flanked by two benign serpents.
Whilst Demeter is well known as the fertility goddess, among other things guaranteeing the corn supply, her association with Harpokrates is not clear.
The uncertain inscription is a later addition.
From Pompeii
Naples Archaeological Museum, Italy.
Demeter and the infant Harpocrates, decorative wall panel, Pompeii, 1st cent. AD
Demeter (Isis, Ceres, Fortuna) wears the cylindrical 'modius' jar (a grain measure) on her head and carries a cornucopiae (horn of abundance) in her left hand and a rudder and globe in her right. Her gaze is directed towards the infant Harpokrates (Horus) in a crouching pose flanked by two benign serpents.
Whilst Demeter is well known as the fertility goddess, among other things guaranteeing the corn supply, her association with Harpokrates is not clear.
The uncertain inscription is a later addition.
From Pompeii
Naples Archaeological Museum, Italy.