Lot 4
Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. An exceedingly rare cosmetic vessel carved from cow or ox bone depicting the Bes, the bow-legged dwarf deity of cosmetics and a protector of women and children. The three-dimensional vessel is replete with meticulous details and illustrates Bes squatting atop an integral shallow plinth with his bulbous belly grazing the ground and holding both bent arms in a defensive pose. Bes dons a leopard pelt with incised striations representing spots, a belt around his waist, and a leopard-head pendant centered between his sagging chest. His gleefully aggressive face bears protruding eyes, flared nostrils, a furrowed brow, and puffy lips flanked with the curled strands of his shaggy, mane-like beard. A capital adorned by palm or papyrus plant motifs tops his head, and a narrow vessel mouth leads down into the interior. Figural cosmetic vessels of Bes are rather uncommon. Furthermore, intact vessels carved from bone like this example are exceedingly rare. Size: 1.1" W x 1.875" H (2.8 cm x 4.8 cm)
For a strikingly similar example formed from faience and painted with vibrant pigments, please see The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1995.13.
Provenance: ex-Phoenicia Holyland Antiquities, New York, New York, USA; ex-private Ms. Francis collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the late 1990s
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#153599
- Condition: Minor nicks and abrasions to base, figure, and top, with heavy encrustations within interior cavity, and very light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and near-choice. Light earthen deposits across exterior and smooth patina throughout.
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