Votive Statuette

The small, light green faience vessel stands on a rectangular base and is fastened between two, now fragmentary supporting rods. It represents the hieroglyphic sign depicting a heart that – according to the ancient Egyptian belief – was an organ of the utmost importance in the human body. In addition to realizing that the heart was the centre of blood circulation, the Egyptians believed that the organ also controlled thinking, memory and emotions. Therefore, it is not surprising that hearts were treated with especial care during the process of mummification.
The organ also fulfilled a crucial role in the events that took place after death, especially during judgement when the heart was weighed, and the divine court decided based on the earthly deeds of the aspirant if he or she was worthy enough to reside in the realm of Osiris and live forever among the blessed spirits. Since the heart was the witness to all the deeds committed in somebody’s life it was investigated. The text (Chapter 30B of the Book of the Dead) inscribed on the so-called heart scarab amulets was intended to ensure that the heart would not testify against its owner in those crucial moments.
The peculiarity of this piece is that the heart is represented with two human arms holding a plain votive patera in front of it. The phenomenon of personification, when an inanimate object or abstract idea is given human (or sometimes even divine) qualities or human form, was a rather frequently used, popular device in Egyptian iconography.
The symbolism of the object is complex. The heart occurs here as a component of personality and can therefore be considered as a living entity. It is not only equipped with arms, but the displayed pose also symbolizes a strictly definable act or gesture, namely that of denoting a ritual offering.