AN EGYPTIAN FAIENCE TURQUOISE GLAZED COMPOSITION

Late Period, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 B.C. Depicting the dwarf god Pataikos standing on a plinth, the god with a scarab on his head and a falcon on each shoulder, holding a serpent in each hand, two felines adorn his neck, decorated with an elaborate collar. On the reverse, Pataikos leans upon a dorsal pillar decorated with hieroglyphs. The hieroglyphs are cryptographic - First glyphs iAw “old man”, second glyph: Xpr “scarab”, or became , or tA “earth”, “land”, third sign sd “tail”, fourth glyph Axw “sunshine” or wbn “rise” or psD “shine”. The bandy-legged dwarf god Pataek or Pataikos was an Egyptian protective deity often created in amulet form for his prophylactic powers. He is commonly depicted conquering harmful forces of natures, such as in the present example, where he is seen strangling a serpent in each hand. The Greek historian Herodotus suggested that Pataek is either an iteration or the son of Ptah, the god of craftsmen. Indeed, dwarves were often depicted working in the workshops of Egyptian artisans, as attested to in tomb scenes.Size: L:83mm / W:35mm ; 50gProvenance: UK private collection; formerly with Dress Archaeo, Brussels, acquired from a US collection, S.T. formed in the 1980s.