Egyptian double-sided Bes amulet
€2,050
available
Object number
AR3407-01
| Object: |
Egyptian double-sided Bes amulet
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| Material: |
Mint green faience.
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| Period: |
Late Period of Ancient Egypt, 26th to 31st dynasty, 664 BC to 332 BC. |
| Description: |
The protective amulet shows the god Bes as a dwarf. He crouches on a rectangular base plate with rounded corners. Bes wears a crown of feathers on his head. The body parts are plastically molded and further details carved. A special feature is the double sided representation, as if the god was standing back to back with his mirror image. A through hole runs transversely through the feather crown, through which the figurine could be threaded as an amulet. |
| Background: |
In ancient Egypt, Bes was the god of music and dance, and also the protector of children and pregnant women from wild animals and evil spirits. Some sources see him as a god of war, battles and the embodiment of a destructive force of nature. The god Bes appears in Egyptian art from the Middle Kingdom onwards. He is depicted as a dwarf with a hairpiece like for example a lion's mane or a feather headdress. The amulet became the most popular form, it emerged in the 18th Dynasty. It was widely used to protect children and mothers. The amulets were worn both in life and after death.
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| Dimensions: |
38mm high, 22mm wide.
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| Condition: |
Very good condition. Ear broken off on one side and missing. The base plate on one side with a corner missing, on the other side most of the edge and the feet missing. Otherwise wonderfully preserved and very detailed.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us on the German art market in 2022. Previously in the German private collection G. L. Acquired in the 1960ies or earlier from an older collection.
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| References: |
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, acc. no. 26.7.877 and 74.51.4472. Cf. Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, acc. no. 51.2565. |
| Literature: |
C. Andrews, Amulets of ancient egypt.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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