This small sculpture represents a unique achievement of the art of the Late Period. The animal has been represented statically in true Egyptian fashion. The space between the body, tail, limbs, and the pedestal has not been removed by the sculptor, and this links the figure with the image of an obelisk, a solar symbol, in front of its chest. The front of this obelisk has been engraved with a short hieroglyphic inscription identifying the animal as an incarnation of Atum, the primaeval god of Heliopolis. It also names the place of worship of the animal and the place where the statue was erected as a town called Hut-nehet or Hut-nebes in the Delta. The ichneumon held a similar position in ancient Egypt as the cat. It was respected as an enemy of serpents and a killer of mice which were attracted by the grain provisions. In religious symbolism, the ichneumon was associated with the god Atum.
Übersicht der ägyptischen Alterthümer des k.k. Münz- und Antiken-Cabinetes (7. vermehrte Auflage 1872) 15, Nr. 73.
Bergmann, E. von, Übersicht über die ägyptischen Alterthümer (1876) 23, Nr. 73.
Sethe, K., Atum als Ichneumon, in: Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde (ZÄS) 63 (1928) 50-53, Abb.
Satzinger, H., Das Kunsthistorische Museum in Wien. Die Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung. Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie 14. Mainz. 1994.
Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM). Führer durch die Sammlungen. Wien. 1988.
Seipel, W. (ed.), Götter Menschen Pharaonen, Speyer (1993) = Dioses, Hombres, Faraones, Ciudad de México (1993) = Das Vermächtnis der Pharaonen, Zürich (1994).
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