Egyptian faience statuette of Taweret
Price: on request
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Object number
AR3090-D6
| Object: |
Egyptian faience statuette of Taweret
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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: |
Faience figurine of the goddess Taweret as a pregnant hippopotamus standing upright. The face has features of a lioness, which can be seen in many Taweret figurines. For that reason the attribution as a hippo goddess and not as a lion goddess is not conceivable.
The statuette has the left leg one step in front of her, making the pose a mixture of standing and walking. A pillar is at the back with a horizontal through hole. The piece could be strung and worn as an amulet.
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| Background: |
In ancient Egypt, the goddess Taweret was the protective goddess for pregnant women. She is also referred to by the names Taueret or Toeris. The representation offered here is a simplistic example for this type of figurine. The hippopotamus goddess was worshiped especially in Deir el-Medina, in Abu Simbel and in Gebel es-Sisile. It is quite possible that the specimen presented here also comes from one of these main cult sites. We hope she was successful in keeping away the demons from her previous owners, seen by the ancient Egyptians as the cause of the high infant mortality.
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| Dimensions: |
34mm high.
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| Condition: |
Very good condition. Abrasion to the faience surface, but the body itself fully intact. Accompanying label from a previous owner.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2020 from the German family estate Stollenwerk. Inherited in 2015 from the German private collection of the archaeologist and artist Erich Charlier. He acquired his collection, including this piece, between 1950 and 1980 in Europe. Mr. Charlier was known for his work as an artist and built a reputation in his home country. He had his studio in Hammer, a village in the Eifel region of Germany. The artist is immortalized in numerous church ornaments in the area. For his artistic work Mr. Charlier received the honorary prize of the municipality of Simmerath, as well as the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1994. Fossils and archaeological objects from his collection were or are on display in an exhibition in Hammer, together with typical hand drawings by Mr. Charlier, which he made for many archaeological pieces in his possession. |
| Referencen: |
Cf. Petrie, Amulets, plate XL, no. 236s. Cf. C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, p. 35, fig. 31 b). |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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