An interesting and rare Ancient Egyptian pale blue faience syncretic amulet with the face and heavily curled, horizontal horns of Khnum; the body of Pataikos/Bes); the back and folded tail-feathers of Horus as a falcon. The figure is topped with a heavy sun disk or modius, symbolizing solar rebirth. Suspension loop behind the horns.
 
Ptolemaic period: Circa 6th-1st century B.C.
 
Condition: Damage at the front to the legs; light encrustations.
Height 3.74 cms (1.5 ins).
 
Provenance: Ex London gallery; ex English collection, AB, acquired 1920s-40, passed by descent.
 
Similar examples of these complex, multi-god faience figures can be found in major museum collections, see: Met Museum collection.
 
In the later eras of Egyptian history (such as the Ptolemaic and Roman periods), the Egyptians created highly complex, multi-headed "pantheistic" protective figures and amulets. In these protective talismans, multiple powerful divine elements were physically engineered into a single dwarf-like body to provide maximum protective power to the wearer.