Statuette of Ptah

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period

Date722-332 BCE

MediumBronze

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions5 7/8 x 1 7/8 x 1 15/16 in. (15 x 4.7 x 4.9 cm)

Object number2018.010.737

Label TextPtah was the creator god in Memphite theology, who created the world by speaking the name of each thing. Ptah was the patron god of crafts and artists whose center of worship was the capital city of Memphis, along with his spouse Sekhmet and their son Nefertum. Ptah was an anthropomorphic god depicted as a mummiform human, wearing a royal beard, skull cap, broad collar, and enveloping shroud. He holds a divine scepter composed of the union of the Djed-pillar meaning “stability” and was-sign for “dominion.” The figurine stands on a platform symbolizing the hieroglyph for ma’at or universal order, relating to his role as the lord of truth.
Exhibition HistoryMichael C. Carlos Museum, Veneralia 2019 Senuseret Collection Preview, May 18, 2019
Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 34.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Alain Renner, Issoudun, France.

Status

Not on view

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