Egyptian Faience Amulets - Ptah & Tawaret

Egypt, Third Intermediate Period to Late Dynastic Period, ca. 1070 to 332 BCE. A delightful pair of faience amulets of the deities Ptah and Tawaret, both enveloped in a pale glaze of seafoam green. Ptah, the ancient creator god of Memphis and patron deity of all craftsmen, stands mummiform with legs together and both hands atop a was-scepter topped with a stylized animal head, as he wears a bulbous headdress, a divine beard, a thick wesekh-collar, and a long robe decorated with an incised, zigzag motif. Alternatively, Tawaret, the goddess of child birthing and suckling as well as a protector of women, children, and the weak, stands nude with arms to her sides and exhibits her characteristic composite features of the feet of a lioness, the spine and tail of a crocodile, the pendulous breasts and bulging belly of a pregnant woman, and the head of a hippopotamus. Each ancient god showcases a lateral perforation drilled horizontally through the verso, allowing them to be suspended and worn as amulets or pendants. Size of largest (Ptah): 0.6" W x 1.9" H (1.5 cm x 4.8 cm)

Ptah was thought to be the creator god who existed before all things and thought the world into existence. He was primarily worshipped in the mighty city of Memphis, which was considered his homeland, as well as Thebes, where the workers of the royal tombs lauded him as a patron to craftsmen and architects. Responsible for looking after the deceased, figures of Ptah were often included in tomb and coffin decoration.

Tawaret (also Taweret, Tauret, Thoueris, Apet, Opet) was another important protective deity associated with Thebes. According to scholar Paul Hamlyn, "[Tawaret] was especially worshipped in Thebes where, under the New Kingdom, she enjoyed great popularity among people of the middle class, who often gave her name to their children and decorated their houses with her images. As well as her role of protectress Taueret sometimes fulfilled that of an avenging deity: then she would appear as a goddess with the body of a hippopotamus but the head of a lioness who brandished a dagger in a menacing manner." (Paul Hamlyn Limited. "Egyptian Mythology." Tudor Publishing Company, New York, 1965, p. 110)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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Condition Report: Wearable as amulets or pendants. Ptah has repair and restoration to head and feet, as well as loss to verso of head. Tawaret has possible repair and restoration to snout. Otherwise, both are very nice with great remains of glaze and detail.