Rare Egyptian Gold Figural Amulet of Pataikos

Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. A rare example of a petite amulet depicting the dwarf god Pataikos (also Patek, Pataek) formed from a mold-hammered sheet of 97% gold (equivalent to 22K+) that is folded to form the hollow figure and soldered along the back periphery. Pataikos is a nude, bandy-legged phylactic dwarf god meant as a protective symbol as well as a mitigator of violent natural forces who exhibits attenuated arms and legs, a portly belly beneath hunched shoulders, and a tall head with a compressed face beneath a broad forehead. A suspension hole is oriented behind the neck. Size: 0.4" W x 0.8" H (1 cm x 2 cm); quality of gold: 97% (equivalent to 22K+); total weight: 2.1 grams.

For a stylistically similar example of Pataikos made from faience, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 74.51.4463.

Provenance: ex-Phoenicia Holyland Antiquities, New York, New York, USA; ex-Fortuna Arts, Ltd., New York, New York, USA, acquired in the 2000s

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#157272
Condition Report: Slight indentations across body, with one petite perforation to posterior, and softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and very good. Nice patina throughout.