Lot 10
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 22nd to 25th Dynasty, ca. 945 to 664 BCE. A rare and quite remarkable faience finial depicting the dwarf deity, Bes, who served as a protector of homes and childbirth, as well as music and merriment. Standing on a papyriform base, with a monkey between his legs and ostrich plumes atop his head, he holds a doum-palm nut to the mouth of a child in his arms. The child also has Bes-like features and headdress, and all is enveloped in blue and black glaze. This finial may have been mounted to a wood handle as a rattle- holes at the top of his feather crown and in his ears would have held cords with beads or other rattling elements for sound. Such a piece would have likely been carried and used in rituals to invoke Bes and other associated deities, such as Hathor. Size: 2.7" W x 5.8" H (6.9 cm x 14.7 cm); 7.1" H (18 cm) on included custom stand.
Bes, the bandy-legged leonine dwarf god, was an apotropaic deity, the protector of the home, children, and women in pregnancy and childbirth. In his role as protector of the home he was thought to dispel bad dreams, and by increasing virility in men and fertility in women, he was seen as a symbol of fecundity. When depicted in full form, he is generally depicted nude, wearing a lion's mane, a plumed headdress, and a tail. He is also seen dancing, brandishing a sword, or frightening off evil spirits by playing music. Bes continued to be a popularly depicted protective deity well into the Graeco-Roman Period.
The doum-nut that Bes is feeding the child is regarded as a sweet treat, the nuts are used to make cakes, juice, and wine. The doum-palm tree and its fruit were sacred to ancient Egyptians, the nuts were often given as offerings to the deceased and baskets of doum nuts were also buried with King Tutankhamun to enjoy in the afterlife!
compare to examples at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession #: 2015.11, and British Museum, object #: EA26267.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, purchased from Pierre Berges Auction, Paris, France, October 10, 2017, lot 144; ex-A.K., Great Britain collection, 1970
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#182079
- Condition: Chipping to base with possible old loss. Expected nicks and abrasions as shown commensurate with age. Otherwise, mostly intact and excellent with nicely preserved as detail.
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