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LOT 0740
Egyptian Polychrome Faience Amulet of the God Bes Fashioned as a Dress Pin
LATE-PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 664-30 B.C.
2 in. (13.7 grams, 52 mm).
The dwarf god depicted in a characteristic bandy-legged stance, with his hands on his hips and a fearsome expression, wearing a plumed headdress; the deep blue glaze highlighted in yellow; set in a metal casing with hinged pins on the reverse and a red jasper insert depicting four plumes beneath his feet.
ProvenanceEarly 20th century UK collection.
Ex A.H. collection, London, UK.
Accompanied by a previous catalogue information page with provenance.
Tinius, I., Altägypten in Braunschweig. Die Sammlungen des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums und des Städtischen Museums, Wiesbaden, 2011, pp. 133-134, no. 226, for a similar Bes amulet from Abydos.
FootnotesFrom the New Kingdom onwards, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children and was believed to shield them from snakes. The role of Bes as a guardian of women persisted at least until the third or fourth century A.D.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0740
Egyptian Polychrome Faience Amulet of the God Bes Fashioned as a Dress Pin
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£167 (EUR 193; USD 225) +BP*
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Large Egyptian Blue Glazed Faience Eye of Horus Amulet
New Kingdom-Late Period, circa 1550-332 B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
The body displaying the characteristic shape combining human and falcon ocular imagery, the brow and pupil detailed in black faience, pierced longitudinally for suspension. 8.34 grams, 41 mm
Early 20th century UK collection. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information page.
The wedjat-eye amulet depicts Horus’s healed eye, blending human and falconine features. Its ancient Egyptian name means ‘the one that is sound’. According to myth, Seth wounded or took the eye, and Thoth later restored it. Believed to offer protection, healing, and regeneration, the popular amulet was worn by the living and the dead. -
Large Egyptian Wooden Right Arm from Male Statuette
Old Kingdom, 2700-2200 B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,150
Carved in acacia wood and preserved in its entirety, from an under-life-size male statuette; slender fingers forming a fist and originally holding a tool; attachment tenon at the inner shoulder. 160 grams, 27 cm
Natural traces of ageing. Intact.
Ex Galerie Cybele, Paris, acquired in 1999. with Binoche et Giquello auction, Paris, 20 March 2017, no.88. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13474-263055.
Separately manufactured arms did not need to touch the body's sides or be stabilised by bars. Thus, the figure, which presumably stood upright with one leg advanced, was given a freer and more lifelike appearance. -
Egyptian Style Terracotta Bes Figure
Early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £20 - 30 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Standing on a pillar and wearing a feather crown, his hands resting on his knees, large protruding ears and a grimacing expression. 151 grams, 13.3 cm
Acquired in Luxor, Egypt. From a private collection formed in the 1930s.
