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LOT 0468
Egyptian Hardstone Scarab with Bes
LATE PERIOD, 664-332 B.C.
1 1/4 in. (10.7 grams, 31 mm).
Plano-convex in section with detailed obverse, the underside with the figure of Bes flanked by adoring baboons and sun disks.
ProvenanceEx London, UK collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Matouk, F.S., Corpus du scarabée égyptien. Vol. 2: Analyse thématique, Beirut, 1976, p.345, no.584, for the baboon and Bes motif.
FootnotesBes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his somewhat fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and believed to protect the wearer from snakes. The depiction of baboons flanking Bes with their arms raised before the sun disk was a common feature on temple wall reliefs. In ancient Egyptian religious literature, baboons heralded the dawn and, thus, the rebirth of the sun.
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AUCTIONS:
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Egyptian Bronze Braided Sidelock of Harpocrates
Ptolemaic Period, circa 332-30 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Accessory from a statue, S-curved with braid detailing to the surface and coiled end; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 372 grams total, 14.3 cm high including stand
Jean P. Bourgis, Beaulieu Sur-Mer, France; acquired 1980. -
Egyptian Hardstone Scarab with Bes
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Plano-convex in section with detailed obverse, the underside with the figure of Bes flanked by adoring baboons and sun disks. 10.7 grams, 31 mm
Ex London, UK collection, 1990s.
Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities from the New Kingdom onwards. Despite his somewhat fearful appearance, Bes was the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and believed to protect the wearer from snakes. The depiction of baboons flanking Bes with their arms raised before the sun disk was a common feature on temple wall reliefs. In ancient Egyptian religious literature, baboons heralded the dawn and, thus, the rebirth of the sun. -
Egyptian Faience Mummy Bead Necklace
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Restrung group of mainly tubular beads with centrepiece a fragment of the extended wing from a pectoral. 11.9 grams, 94 cm long
From an old English deceased estate. Acquired on the London art market in the early 1990s. Property of a London, UK, collector.
