Description: Flat-backed amulet of a standing, frontal facing, winged Bes. Bes wears his distinctive plumed headdress and holds a sa hieroglyph (Gardiner Sign List V17) in each hand. He is naked and an animal tail falls between his bandy legs. A disc bead suspension loop is attached at top of headdress.
Collector's Marks: 815 written in ink on back.
Cultural Significance: Bes as a protective deity was popular from at least the Middle Kingdom, although amulets do not appear prior to the 18th Dynasty but once established remained common through the Roman Period. Bes amulets were common elements of jewellery and were worn in life as well as placed in tombs. The Egyptian word sa held in each hand of the Bes figure had the meaning of protection and the wings of Bes also signal its protective aspect. This form of amulet is not as common as the standard form which lacks wings and where the hands are placed on the thighs.
Comparanda: Louvre AF9576; MFA Boston 72.2089

Notes:  See W. Petrie, Amulets, 1914, 189f; C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt. 1994, p. 39-40, plates 34c, 37

1 Related People