Statuette of Tawaret
Datec. 300 BCE
PeriodPtolemaic Kingdom
Place MadeEgypt, Africa
MediumDiorite
Dimensions19.5 x 6.5 x 7.6 cm (7 11/16 x 2 9/16 x 3 in.)
Credit LineGift of Drs. John and Bessie Sawhill
Object number76.1.398
On View
Not on viewCollections
ProvenanceParke-Bernet Galleries (Item 13, Cat. 3163, 2/25/1971, p. 23)
Label TextThis statue of Taweret shows the goddess in an upright position, wearing a wig and holding a sa staff, which symbolizes protection. Known as ‘the great one,’ Taweret was believed to frighten malicious spirits away from mothers and their newborn children. She is usually depicted as a woman with features of the hippopotamus, lion, and crocodile, animals which represent her strength and maternal devotion. The use of black diorite references the fertile black silt brought by the annual Nile flood.
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