Isis and the Virgin Mary

Isis and the Virgin Mary

Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim Inv. 1201

Fascination with Egypt has existed for millennia, Isis temples in Greece being known by the 4th century bce. Romans imported a multitude of genuine Egyptian objects and created their own “Egyptian” works: Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli, built about 125–134 ce, featured an Egyptian garden with Egyptianizing statues of Antinoüs, who had been deified by Hadrian after drowning in the Nile. Romans also built pyramid tombs and worshipped Egyptian deities. Isis, revered throughout the Roman Empire and often shown holding Horus on her lap, even became a prototype for Christian images of the Virgin and Child.

Isis with Horus Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Christiaan Janssens