Keywords: Egyptian - Scarab with Bes and Geese - Walters 4243 - Right.jpg This dwarf-like protective deity was very popular in ancient Egypt Bes is represented with a nude body and grotesque facial features a protruding tongue and the ears and mane of a lion He wears a tall feather-crown and usually rests his hands on his hips Known from as early as the Middle Kingdom ca 2000 BC Bes was venerated as a protector of the home family and childbirth and for that reason figures prominently in domestic magic and amulets His close connection to all aspects of fertility and sexuality is demonstrated by the presence of his image in the Birth-houses -shrines associated with temples of the Late Period and the Greco-Roman era He also had a special relation to the goddess Hathor and performed in her retinue as a musician and dancer On the bottom this scarab displays the Bes-figures in frontal view and two geese in side view The geese may represent the god Amun and therefore the meaning of this motif may be related to magical aspects of Amun between 1292 1070 BC New Kingdom steatite with blue-green glaze H 1/2 x W 7/8 x L 1 3/16 in 1 3 x 2 2 x 3 cm accession number 42 43 18743 Henry Walters Baltimore date and mode of acquisition unknown Walters Art Museum Henry Walters Acquired by Henry Walters Daily Magic in Ancient Egypt The Walters Art Museum Baltimore 2006-2007 place of origin Egypt Walters Art Museum license Ancient Egyptian scarabs in the Walters Art Museum Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs category review |