Egyptian faience amulet with the figure of Bes, Late Period, Circa 664-332 BC

This small amulet represents the god Bes, an archaic Egyptian deity devoted to the protection of marriage and the home. He was also the god of pregnant women and protected men from evil influences and reptiles. Bes was a god associated with music, often depicted dancing and playing instruments such as the harp or drum.

Bes is usually depicted naked, with a short stature and large genitals, and with a very characteristic face: a large, broad face with round cheeks crossed by two folds that descend from the wings of the nose and with a beard divided into two quadrants formed by curly hair that fell over his shoulders. Bes’s face departs from the human conception and seeks to represent a kind of mask or monster linked to his sacred function.