Large Faience Amulet with Bes and Horus Eye

Culture: Egyptian

Period: 3rd Intermediate period, ca. 7 century B.C.

Material: Faience

Dimensions: 5.2 cm in diameter

Price: Sold

Ref: 1392

Provenance: Jakob Koller, acquired in the late 19th to early 20th century in Egypt. Thence collection Richard James, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the late 1960s. Christie’s New York auction on 25 October 2007, lot 20. Last in an US private collection.

Condition: Except for some minor chips on the edge intact.

Description: Large faience amulet worked out on both sides. One side depicts the head of the dwarf god Bes, the protector of pregnant women and newborn children. Bes has his typical shaggy beard, the grotesque face and protruding ears. He wears a feather crown. The other side depicts a Horus eye in relief. The Horus eye is the restored left eye (“Moon eye”) of the Light god Horus which was healed by the Egyptian god Thoth. It is also called as the udjat eye (udjat = intact, complete, healed, healthy). According to its meaning udjat amulets had an apotropaic function and should protect against illnesses. The outside of the round medallion with ribs. A perforation from one end to the other served for suspension. A modern inscription on the rim “Rop Tell Gaief” could indicate the ancient site Naucratis. Mounted.