Terracotta Statuette of Isis or a Follower in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2009

Terracotta Statuette of Isis or a Follower
Roman, mold-made, ca. 2nd century AD

Accession # 89.2.2014

The cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis spread across the eastern Mediterranean under the influence of the Ptolemies and was introduced into Rome during the Late Republic. It flourished under the Roman Empire, and traces of the cult can be found in almost every province. This figure may represent a priestess rather than Isis herself. She wears an elaborate Egyptian crown and floral garlands over her left shoulder and carries a situla (ritual bucket) in her left hand.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.