Walters Art Museum (Egyptian) · figurine

Standing Pataikos

Walters Art Museum (Egyptian), acc. 48.1614. Public domain (CC0). Copy archived by egyptianinscriptions.org with attribution; original at the holding institution.

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Accession: 48.1614
Dynasty: Ptolemaic Dynasty
Date: early 4th-3rd century BCE (Ptolemaic)
Date range: 394 BCE – 200 BCE
Materials: ['Egyptian faience with green glaze']
Repository: Walters Art Museum
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Cite & export

Walters Art Museum (Egyptian), Standing Pataikos (48.1614). Egyptian Inscriptions Database. https://egyptianinscriptions.org/object/220495

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Description

<p>This dwarf-like, protective deity was very popular in ancient Egypt; amulets in the shape of this god were particularly popular from the Third Intermediate period. The Greek name Pataikos comes from a passage in the writings of Herodotus (ca. 5th century BCE), who used this term to describe a Phoenician protective dwarf-like image. The Egyptian Pataikos is a special manifestation of the creator god Ptah and the dwarf-like appearance symbolizes his magical power.This amulet presents the standard type of Pataikos as a standing nude dwarf, with his clenched hands at his sides, and a large dominating head.</p><p>For the latest information about this object, <cite><a href='https://purl.thewalters.org/art/48.1614' rel='external'>Standing Pataikos</a></cite>, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.</p>

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A small, green-glazed Egyptian faience figurine of a standing male dwarf/bare-chested figure with a distinct broad head and incised facial features.

The object is shown frontally as a standing figure with short, clenched arms held slightly away from the body. The head is large relative to the torso, with incised eyes, a defined nose, and a moustache/beard-like area and a central facial line. The torso is bare, with a belt-like band across the waist and a vertical central line on the abdomen. A broad, collar-like element surrounds the neck. At the lower body, the legs are indicated with incisions and the feet are simplified; there are no clear legs/arms gestures beyond the standard standing pose. Small chips and surface wear are visible, with some darker patches where the glaze is missing or degraded. No readable hieroglyphs, cartouches, or modern inscription text are visible in the image provided.

religious Unknown; likely Late Period–Ptolemaic (faience figurine tradition) but not confirmable from the image alone. good

Deities Pataikos (as per catalogue title)

Materials Egyptian faience with green glaze

Connections

Deities Ptah Pataikos

Cross-references (2)

Walters-AccNum 48.1614 tier-2
Walters-id 30653 tier-2

About this record's data

From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Walters Art Museum (Egyptian).
AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.