Loading, please wait...
LOT 0468
Egyptian Faience God Bes Amulet
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 3/8 in. (10.8 grams, 34 mm).
Glazed composition with Bes squatting on a rectangular base; headdress and suspension loop absent.
ProvenanceEx West London, UK, collection pre 1990.
From a London, UK, collection.
Cf. Andrews, C., Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London, 1994, item 37d.
FootnotesBes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his rather fearsome appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children. He was also believed to provide protection from snakes.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Phoenician Glass Bead Collection
Circa 6th-4th century B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £260
Comprising mainly black glass beads with dragged trails in contrasting colours; a pale blue bead with eye motifs; a hemispherical green glass bead or weight; and a triangular pendant with red, yellow, blue and white banding. 58 grams total, 9-32 mm
UK private collection formed 1970s-1990s. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Egyptian Wooden Djed Pillar Amulet
Saite Period, 7th-5th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Finely-made amuletic djed pillar; old collector's accession number 'E.436' to underside; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 106 grams, 17 cm high
with ink inscribed 'E.436' to base. Acquired in 1970. Ex private European collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11602-199041.
The djed pillar symbolises stability and is usually understood to be the spine of the god Ptah although its origins are more probably in cult practices involving sheaves of reeds which were revered due to the general absence of trees from the Egyptian landscape. The djed later came to be symbolise Seker, the falcon god of Memphis and Ptah, the Memphite god of craftsmen, who carried a sceptre formed as a combination of the djed and the ankh. The cult of Ptah waned and gave way to that of Osiris so that by the New Kingdom (16th century B.C.), the djed had become associated with Osiris, part of whose cult included a ceremony for raising the djed representing Osiris's triumph over Seth. -
Egyptian Decorated Alabaster Alabastron
Circa 500 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Lentoid in section with pierced lateral lugs at the shoulder, circumferential banding at the neck with dentilled detailing; supplied with a custom-made stand. 281 grams total, 15 cm high including stand
Private collection, Germany, 1990s-2000s.