Phoenician Bead with Faces

A red glass insert of a profile face with remains of a pharaonic crown to the forehead. 16.7 grams, 31 mm wide



Ex Joseph Altounian (1889-1954), Paris and Macon, thence by decent. with Christie's, London, 3 July 2018, lot 29. English private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11603-199738.

Joseph Altounian opened his shop in 1906 in Paris and then relocated to Mâcon in 1924 when he was joined by his wife Henriette Lorbet. They specialised in Egyptian and Greek art, medieval sculpture and decorative arts, selling to major museums both in Europe and in the United States. At his death in 1954 the business was taken over by his daughter, Jacqueline Altounian-Lorbet, and her husband Bernard Rousset, who then specialised in antique furniture.

A blue-glazed faience amulet of the creator god Ptah in the form of the dwarf god Pataikos, modelled nude with stylised anatomical detailing, holding two knives to his stomach, squatting on an oval base; a scarab on the top of his cap; ribbed suspension loop to reverse; mounted on a custom-made display base. 29.6 grams total, 66 mm high including stand



Ex private French collection. with Thierry Maigret, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 12 July 2005, 76.

The Egyptian deity Pataikos is a special manifestation of the creator god Ptah, and the dwarf-like appearance symbolises his magical power. As a protective deity, amulets of Pataikos were worn for their apotropaic qualities; Pataikos was often depicted subjugating poisonous animals such as snakes and scorpions, and Pataikos amulets were probably worn to protect the wearer from such animals. Ptah was the god of Egypt's capital city Memphis and master craftsman of the gods, known for his benevolent and approachable character. Ptah is attested from the beginning of ancient Egypt’s dynastic history and was a creator god, a god of craftsmen, and the patron deity of the Memphite region. The principal temple of the god was located in the city of Memphis. The fragmentary back pillar on this statuette indicates that it was most probably a temple offering, originally inscribed with an invocation to Ptah together with the donor’s name. Such votive figurines with back pillars naming the god and the dedicator occur in various materials, including faience and stone.

A terracotta amulet mould with incuse sacred wedjat motif, with ducts either side for excess material and possibly to indicate the position of suspension holes added after moulding. 12.9 grams, 34 mm

Fine condition.

Ex UK art market, 1970s. Property of a London gentleman.

A comparable example from Thebes and dated to the 18th Dynasty is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 12.180.377).