AN EGYPTIAN TURQUOISE FAIENCE ‘BES’ AMULET, THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

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AN EGYPTIAN TURQUOISE FAIENCE ‘BES’ AMULET, THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Egypt, 1070-664 BC. The bandy-legged god depicted nude standing balanced on a straight tail, with a paunchy belly above his genitalia, his arms bent at the elbows, both palms fisted, his characteristic leonine face with a deeply creased forehead, furrowed diagonal brows, a bulbous nose, thick lips and wide pierced ears, his tongue lolling between his curling mane, surmounted by a neatly incised fanning feather crown. The back of the crown and ears pierced for suspension. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 7.6 cm Although often named simply Bes, this unusual figure is properly termed a Bes-image because it serves to represent a number of different deities who were protective gods, often with a close association to the protection of women and children during and after childbirth. The Bes-image has a mixture of attributes, displaying a dwarf’s body but also incorporating leonine features, such as a lion’s mane and tail. Bes-images could be standalone offerings, as this one may have been, but they were also frequently incorporated into furniture or personal items to bring good fortune and protection daily. Bes figures had no central cult location, but they were widely manufactured and were closely linked with child gods, who were important in temple cult. Some small Bes shrines are known, and the Bes-image also had a role in temple mammisis, or birth houses. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related amulet of Bes, dated Third Intermediate Period, 6 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 17.194.2232. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 8 December 2022, lot 228 Price: GBP 4,845 or approx. EUR 6,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and subject. Note the related size (6.7 cm).

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