Bes with Worshiper

Late Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 127

Bes was worshipped and invoked by ordinary Egyptians as a protector. His usual depiction, as a grotesque dwarf with a lion's ears and mane, was thought to deter the approach of the malevolent forces believed to cause illness. His image here appears in a bronze statuette made for the unnamed man shown worshipping the god. The harp held by Bes may reflect his power to calm angry spirits.

Bes with Worshiper, Cupreous metal

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