Egyptian faience figurine of Pataikos
€8,400
available
Object number
AR3416
| Object: |
Egyptian faience figurine of Pataikos
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| Material: |
Mint green faience.
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| Period: |
Late Period of Ancient Egypt, 26th to 31st dynasty, 664 BC to 332 BC. |
| Description: |
Detailed faience figurine of the dwarf god Pataikos. The god stands naked with bent knees on two small crocodiles. A scarab on his head, a falcon on each shoulder. The dwarf god wears a wide necklace and has an apron on each thigh. He holds a dagger in each hand. The arrangement is on a rectangular base with a back pillar. On the back of the pillar is a winged goddess in bas relief. She has a sun disk and feather above her head. The attributes identify her as the goddess Maat. The figurine could be attached as an amulet via a through hole on the neck. It was certainly a protective amulet that was intended to keep danger away from the wearer. |
| Background: |
Pataikos is a deity in dwarf form who was said to have magical powers and a protective function. According to another interpretation, it is not directly a god, but rather a mortal in dwarf form who was worshiped like a god. In the Egyptian culture, such figures were used as jewellery and protection likewise. But as usual, the history of the ancient and pre-historic deities is confusing and their origin cannot always be reconstructed with certainty. There are numerous parallels. The much-quoted ancient historian Herodotus used the term Pataikos (Greek Pataikoi) for the figures that decorated the ends of the rudder poles of Phoenician triremes. He explained the figures as imitations of a dwarf and claimed that they were very similar to Ptah (Greek: Hephaestus) of Memphis. |
| Dimensions: |
45.5mm high, 21mm wide, 15.5mm deep.
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| Condition: |
Perfectly preserved. Surface with rich details. A museum-worthy example of Egyptian faience.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us on the British art market in 2022. Previously in a British private collection. Acquired on 21 May 1992 from the British art dealer Eternal Egypt, London. Previously in the Sotheby's London auction on 5 July 1982, lot 131. Consigned from a larger collection of Egyptian amulets.
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| References: |
Cf. a near identical figurine in E. Brunner-Traut, H. Brunner, J. Zick-Nissen, Osiris Kreuz Halbmond, pp. 71, no. 59. Cf. C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt (1994), p. 38, fig. 34b and 35b. Cf. Sir W. M. F. Petrie, Amulets, plate XXXI f. |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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