A TURQUOISE-GLAZED FAIENCE AMULET OF PATAIKOS, LATE PERIOD
Lot 45 - ANT1125

Egypt, 664-332 BC. Boldly rendered as a naked dwarf with bowed legs and short arms akimbo, a relatively elongated torso, with well-defined genitalia, a deeply impressed circular navel within a slightly rounded belly. The disproportionately large head of the figure conveying an amiable expression characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a broad nose, and full lips. The neck fitted with a loop containing a small hole for suspension.

Provenance: Collection of Jerome M. Eisenberg, New York, USA, the collection formed primarily from the early 1960s through the 1990s, and thence by descent. Jerome Martin Eisenberg (1930-2022) was an American art historian, dealer, and appraiser of antiquities and artworks. He studied geology and pursued postgraduate and doctoral studies in archaeology and the history of ancient art. He founded and directed the Royal-Athena Galleries in New York and London from 1942 until 2020. He taught as a visiting professor of ancient art history at the Universities of New York and Leipzig and wrote numerous articles on archaeology, numismatics, and ancient art. From 1990 to 2009, he was the editor of the archaeological journal ‘Minerva’, while collaborated with many American museums as a dealer of ancient artworks and with other public and private American entities as an appraiser and expert witness. He was a fervent advocate of the legal and ethical trade of antiquities and participated in related American and international committees.
Condition: Good condition with expected old wear and firing irregularities. Obvious losses. Flaking to glaze, mostly at the backside. Few minor nicks and minute chips. Small areas with soil encrustation.

Weight: 40.7 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 6.9 cm (excl. stand), 7.9 cm (incl. stand)

Mounted on an associated stand. (2)

Pataikos refers to a protective deity represented in the form of a dwarf, displaying the characteristic features of achondroplastic morphology. Possibly associated with the craftsman god Ptah, such figures are closely related to depictions of Horus the Savior on magical stelae known as cippi, and may also appear alongside Sekhmet or Nefertem, who, together with Ptah, constituted the Memphite triad. The name is believed to derive from the account of Herodotus, who, in his Histories, described a comparable image of Ptah at Memphis in dwarf form, noting its resemblance to the Phoenician Pataikoi, miniature protective figures that he had seen adorning the prows of Phoenician ships.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related pale green-glazed faience amulet of Pataikos, Egypt, Late to Ptolemaic period, dated 664-30 BC, 6.6 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 90.6.196. Compare a related green-glazed faience amulet of Pataikos, Egypt, Late to Ptolemaic period, dated 1069-332 BC, 4.5 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1894.196. For two further closely related examples of turquoise-glazed faience amulets depicting Pataikos, see Carol Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, 1994, p. 39, no. 36.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 8 December 2022, lot 248
Estimate: GBP 15,000 or approx. EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A sizeable Egyptian pale blue glazed faience Pataikos amulet, Late period, c. 664-332 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and manner of modeling. Note the similar size (7 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 16 March 2021, lot 161
Mid-Estimate: EUR 6,500 or approx. EUR 7,800 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Egyptian faience amulet of Pataek, Ptolemaic period, 304-30 BC
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and manner of modeling. Note the smaller size (5.7 cm).