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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.294
Title
The God Bes
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
mid 7th-late 1st century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient)
Period
Late Period to Ptolemaic
Culture
Egyptian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/221745

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
8.5 x 2.2 cm (3 3/8 x 7/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 90.44; Sn, 6.76; Pb, 1.92; Zn, 0.042; Fe, 0.34; Ni, 0.08; Ag, 0.05; Sb, 0.02; As, less than 0.10; Bi, 0.274; Co, 0.075; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001


J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is a black wax over green corrosion products. Deep scratching following the wax-obscured contours may be the result of aggressive cleaning or possibly post-cast chasing. The considerable build-up of burial accretion and corrosion products still obscure modeling details. The object is a solid lost-wax cast.


Tony Sigel (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1920.

Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton
Accession Year
1920
Object Number
1920.44.294
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
Bes, the dwarf god, stands atop a lotus or papyrus column with arms resting on his thighs, echoing the bow shape of his legs. The figure would have served as a handle or finial for a large piece (1). Bes is characterized by a large round head with stylized facial features, such as deep-set eyes, a flat nose with flaring nostrils, and a long mustache or beard. This figure represents Bes in a hybridized form, where human and bestial elements are blended together, such as animal ears and a long tail, rendered here by a piece of wire welded onto the back. His headdress is a tall feathered crown, abbreviated on the Harvard example due to its small size. A small hoop for suspension is concealed behind the feathers. The term “Bes,” in fact, encompasses a cohort of divinities who served as protective figures to pregnant women (2). During the late periods, his popularity grew, and his image appeared throughout the Mediterranean world.

NOTES:

1. Compare a Bes image on a similarly shaped column in the Walters Art Museum, inv. no. 54.405.

2. A. K. Capel and G. E. Markoe, Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt, exh. cat., Cincinnati Art Museum; Brooklyn Museum (New York, 1996) no. 17.


Marian Feldman

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu