This gilt bronze votive statuette of a hawk was discovered in 1893 at Sais (Sa-al-Hagar) in the western Delta and is dated to Dynasty 26. The statuette was made using the lost-wax technique in which a wax model was enclosed in clay and allowed to dry. The wax was then melted before the molten metal was poured into the resulting clay mould. Gold was used here to highlight the falcon’s head, plumage and jewellery. The statuette shows the avian form of god Horus, who was associated with kingship, wearing a crown (now partly broken) and a broad gilded collar ending in a solar-heart amulet. This amulet was probably used by ancient Egyptian kings as an attribute of god Horus, therefore, indicating the divine status of the king. The solar disk above the heart identified the king’s heart with the sun and may have signalled his ability to maintain maat (justice) in the same way the sun illuminated the universe. Such votive statuettes were donated to the temple to honour its deities. The gilded dedicatory text on the base of the statuette names a certain Imhotep, son of Padineith. By naming the dedicant in the inscription, he could magically participate in the daily temple rituals that common people were not allowed to attend.