Bes standing on a papyriform capital, Beset on opposite side

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

664–30 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134

Bes and his wife Beset appear on opposite sides of this element. Bes is nude and has his typical semi-leonine countenance and protruding tongue. Beset holds the same stance and also wears a feather crown, but she has a less animal-like and less exaggerated face, and is clothed in the so-called Isis-garment, knotted between her breasts, that comes into use in the Ptolemaic Period.

Beset is a much older figure, but becomes particularly popular in the Ptolemaic Period. Basically she shares Bes's protective and apotropaic functions.

Figures of Bes sometimes appear on independent columns, on the handle of a sistrum, or of a mirror. This element has fittings at both top and bottom.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Bes standing on a papyriform capital, Beset on opposite side
Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Date: 664–30 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Cupreous metal
Dimensions: H. 9.3 cm (3 11/16 in.); W. 2.7 cm (1 1/16 in.); D. 2.3 cm 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1958
Object Number: 58.106.6a
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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