The protector god shown standing nude, hands on hips and wearing a cap headdress. A suspension loop is at the back of the head. Smithsonian museum accession number: 309232 applied in black ink on base.
Pataikos, a pygmy possessing affinities with Bes and Horus the child (Harpocrates), was a protection from danger. He is so-named from a passage in Herodotus in which the Greek writer likens the statue of Hephaistos (Ptah) in Memphis to the figures of pygmies that adorned the prows of Phoenician triremes.
Condition: Intact and in very good condition overall with no chips, cracks or breaks.
Dimensions: Height: 1.2 inches (3 centimeters)
Provenance: Forming part of the Lenman/Stohlman collection assembled by the Washington D.C. socialite Miss Isobel H. Lenman (1845 - 1931), in the early 1900’s. Loaned and accessioned by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., between 1916 and 1921 where it was exhibited until her death in 1931. Thereafter, the collection was returned to her heirs and sold around 1937 to Dr. Martin Stohlman, remaining with the Stohlman family until 2011.
