<em>Figure of Bes with Child</em>, ca. 1075-656 B.C.E. Faience, 7 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 5/8 in. (19.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.4_emagic.jpg)

Figure of Bes with Child, ca. 1075-656 B.C.E. Faience, 7 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 5/8 in. (19.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.4_emagic.jpg)

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Figure of Bes with Child

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Special Exhibitions, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

The dangers of childbirth could be reduced by having images of the god Bes in the tomb. Bes protected women during delivery and then assured the safety of newborn children. Images of Bes were often placed in tombs for both reasons. They ensured the deceased’s safety during rebirth into the next world, a main function of Egyptian tombs.

Bes had a lion’s head and mane and wore a feather headdress. The spots on this figurine suggest the leopard skin Bes sometimes wore.

MEDIUM Faience

DATES ca. 1075-656 B.C.E.

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 7 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 5/8 in. (19.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 08.480.4

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

EXHIBITIONS

A Woman's Afterlife: Gender Transformation in Ancient Egypt

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Special Exhibitions, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Figure of Bes with Child, ca. 1075-656 B.C.E. Faience, 7 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 5/8 in. (19.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.08.480.4_emagic.jpg)

IMAGE installation, Egyptian Magic Installation (2008), CUR.08.480.4_emagic.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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