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Female Bes

Middle Kingdom
ca. 1981–1640 B.C.
Not on view
Despite its ruined state, this little statue is a plaintive witness to the role of magic in ancient Egyptian health. It was found in the Middle Kingdom cemetery at Lisht, where it had been placed either in a grave or as an offering above a tomb. The figure's lion mane and ears are those of the god Bes (see 1989.281.94), but its body is quite unlike the round, dwarfish torso with which the god is regularly depicted suggesting that it represents the god's much rarer female counterpart, Beset. Like Bes, this goddess was a guardian of mothers during and after childbirth and of their infants. In the cemetery, Beset's presence would have offered the same protection to the deceased in their daily rebirth to new life as a spirit.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Female Bes
  • Period: Middle Kingdom
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 12–13
  • Date: ca. 1981–1640 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Lisht North, Cemetery, debris, MMA excavations, 1913–14
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: h. 10.7 cm (4 3/16 in); w. 4 cm (1 9/16 in); d. 2 cm (13/16 in)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1915
  • Object Number: 15.3.1088
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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