A rare mummiform bronze figure of Ptah-Tatenen standing frontally with feet together, wearing a composite headdress with ram’s horns and a crown of two ostrich feathers with a sun disk (now missing), the arms held forward holding a scepter incorporating the ankh (life), djed (stability), and was (power). Ptah-Tatenen is one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, especially in the city of Memphis. His figure represents the combination of two powerful divine ideas: Ptah, the god of creation and craftsmanship, and Tatenen, the god of the primeval mound and the emerging earth. Ptah-Tatenen symbolized the origin of the world, the act of creation, and the renewal of life. This god manifests himself as the earth god Tatenen, the Primeval Mound, who is embodied in Ptah, the divine sculptor who forms a concept of creation in his mind and then realizes it materially. As primeval creator god Ptah-Tatenen becomes one of the three main gods of Egypt, along with Amun of Thebes and Re of Heliopolis. For further discussion see: El Menyawy, H. M. (2025). Ptah-Tatenen in the Greco-Roman period. Minia Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 19(2), 218–259. Medium: Bronze Dimensions: Height: 2 5/8 inches (6.5 cm) Condition: Surface corrosion and encrustation throughout; losses to details and attributes, otherwise intact and in good condition. Provenance: The Nourollah Elghanayan Collection of Ancient Art, assembled 1950-1970's. Nourollah Elghanayan (1915 - 2009), NYC, Iranian-born businessman, started buying land in Manhattan in the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on Manhattan property on Second and Third avenues. His sons turned the holdings into a booming real-estate business. Now, the family is worth $1.9 billion and has more than 20 million square feet of residential and commercial holdings to its name, split among two firms.
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