Egypt, probably late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Periods, ca. 1290 to 30 BCE. A gorgeous and well-preserved faience amulet of the goddess Taweret with a roll at the top pierced for suspension. She stands, leaning back, with her pendulous stomach out in front of her, one leg in front of the other. Taweret, "The Great Female One", is a blend of hippopotamus, crocodile, and human features. Those two animals are some of the fiercest known to the ancient Egyptians from the Nile Delta, and the goddess is a fierce protector of pregnant and nursing women, called upon to protect women in childbirth. A beautiful light blue green example like this one probably puts this into the late Third Intermediate Period, ca. 747 to 656 BCE. Comes with custom stand. Size: 0.65" W x 2.45" H (1.7 cm x 6.2 cm)

See a very similar example in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art: http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/243754 and at the Johns Hopkins University Museum: http://archaeologicalmuseum.jhu.edu/the-collection/object-stories/ancient-egyptian-amulets/taweret/

Provenance: Ex-Private LA County collection

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#118018

Very slight surface pitting