Two Handled Jar and Lid with the Head of Bes

New Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 116

This jar belongs to a set that was purchased in Luxor from Sayed Molattam in 1923. The set is unusual because of the various creatures/deities decorating each lid. These include the head of the god Bes (this jar), the head of an ox, a resting calf, and a frog.

The only parallel group of jars was discovered in the Valley of the Kings tomb of Yuya and Tjuyu (KV 46) in the Valley of the Kings, the parents of Queen Tiye who was principal queen of Amenhotep III. For this reason, the jars are tentatively dated to this king's reign.

Two Handled Jar and Lid with the Head of Bes, Limestone, paint

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