Ancient Egypt, Late Period Faience Bes, Amulet
17
days
12
hours
31
minutes
31
seconds
Starting bid
€ 1
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 450 - € 550
No bids placed
Catawiki Buyer Protection
Your payment’s safe with us until you receive your object.View details
Trustpilot 4.4 | 133090 reviews
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
Ancient Egyptian late-period faience Bes amulet, pierced for suspension, about 31.3 mm high and 12 mm wide, in good condition, dating to 664–332 BC.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Attention: due to customs regulations we can only ship inside the European Union. Please ensure you have a valid EU shipping address before placing a bid.
Ancient Egyptian, finely detailed faience Bes amulet, pierced for suspension. The dwarf leonine Bes is standing on a raised plinth, leaning against a pillar and wearing a feathered headdress. The figure is rendered in pale blue-green glazed faience, with incised details emphasising the face, torso, and headdress.
-> Amulets of Bes were widely worn as protective charms, particularly associated with safeguarding households, childbirth, and warding off evil spirits. The form reflects the typical apotropaic character of the deity, whose grotesque and exaggerated features were believed to repel malevolent forces.
Height: ± 31,3 mm
Width: ± 12 mm
Condition: good solid condition, surface with expected age-related signs of wear and losses to the glaze.
Certificate of Authenticity: available upon request (pdf-format).
-> Bes (also spelled as Bisu), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, worshipped as a protector of households and, in particular, of mothers, children, and childbirth. Bes later came to be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad.
The Egyptians believed that he stood guard during childbirth, ready to strike any malevolent forces that sought to harm both mother and child.
Worship of Bes was widely recognised and was later adopted into the Roman and Achaemenid Empires.
Seller's Story
Please read our information carefully.
*SHIPPING INFO Due to insurance procedures, combined shipping is only possible with a single payment. (1 payment reference = 1 insured parcel.) If you accept an offer after the auction and pay separately, shipments cannot be manually combined afterward. Please ensure your shipping address is complete and correct before paying. Changes made after payment are not automatically forwarded to us.
* CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY (COA) For insurance purposes we can provide a digital Certificate of Authenticity (PDF) for every item with a hammer price of Euro 100 or more. The COA is available upon request within 20 days of the auction date. Instructions will be provided when your order is shipped. Certificates are not included in the package.
* INSURANCE & CLAIMS All our parcels are shipped with external insurance. This insurance requires the following:
-> Monitor the online tracking and notify delays to the seller within 14 days after the shipping date.
-> In case of damage: write a reservation on the delivery note and report the damage to the seller via the Catawiki online chat within 24 hours. Keep all packaging and send us photos of the damage.
* MARGIN SCHEME: All our sales are subject to the margin scheme; therefore, no VAT is charged or shown on our invoices.
* IMPORTANT BUYERS OUTSIDE THE EU: We cannot ship to countries outside the European Union. Please ensure you have an EU shipping address before bidding. No exceptions can be made. Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom are not part of the EU.
* DOCUMENTATION NOTICE: Previous invoices and import/export documents will not be shared with customers.
----------------------
Thank you for your interest, and best of luck with your bids!
Attention: due to customs regulations we can only ship inside the European Union. Please ensure you have a valid EU shipping address before placing a bid.
Ancient Egyptian, finely detailed faience Bes amulet, pierced for suspension. The dwarf leonine Bes is standing on a raised plinth, leaning against a pillar and wearing a feathered headdress. The figure is rendered in pale blue-green glazed faience, with incised details emphasising the face, torso, and headdress.
-> Amulets of Bes were widely worn as protective charms, particularly associated with safeguarding households, childbirth, and warding off evil spirits. The form reflects the typical apotropaic character of the deity, whose grotesque and exaggerated features were believed to repel malevolent forces.
Height: ± 31,3 mm
Width: ± 12 mm
Condition: good solid condition, surface with expected age-related signs of wear and losses to the glaze.
Certificate of Authenticity: available upon request (pdf-format).
-> Bes (also spelled as Bisu), together with his feminine counterpart Beset, is an ancient Egyptian deity, worshipped as a protector of households and, in particular, of mothers, children, and childbirth. Bes later came to be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad.
The Egyptians believed that he stood guard during childbirth, ready to strike any malevolent forces that sought to harm both mother and child.
Worship of Bes was widely recognised and was later adopted into the Roman and Achaemenid Empires.
Seller's Story
Please read our information carefully.
*SHIPPING INFO Due to insurance procedures, combined shipping is only possible with a single payment. (1 payment reference = 1 insured parcel.) If you accept an offer after the auction and pay separately, shipments cannot be manually combined afterward. Please ensure your shipping address is complete and correct before paying. Changes made after payment are not automatically forwarded to us.
* CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY (COA) For insurance purposes we can provide a digital Certificate of Authenticity (PDF) for every item with a hammer price of Euro 100 or more. The COA is available upon request within 20 days of the auction date. Instructions will be provided when your order is shipped. Certificates are not included in the package.
* INSURANCE & CLAIMS All our parcels are shipped with external insurance. This insurance requires the following:
-> Monitor the online tracking and notify delays to the seller within 14 days after the shipping date.
-> In case of damage: write a reservation on the delivery note and report the damage to the seller via the Catawiki online chat within 24 hours. Keep all packaging and send us photos of the damage.
* MARGIN SCHEME: All our sales are subject to the margin scheme; therefore, no VAT is charged or shown on our invoices.
* IMPORTANT BUYERS OUTSIDE THE EU: We cannot ship to countries outside the European Union. Please ensure you have an EU shipping address before bidding. No exceptions can be made. Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom are not part of the EU.
* DOCUMENTATION NOTICE: Previous invoices and import/export documents will not be shared with customers.
----------------------
Thank you for your interest, and best of luck with your bids!
Details
Culture
Ancient Egypt, Late Period
Century/timeframe
664-332 BC
Name of object
Bes, Amulet
Acquired from
Dealer at a fair
Year acquired
2023
Material
Faience
Country acquired from
Netherlands
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Dealer at a fair
Previous owner - year acquired
2023
Previous owner - country acquired from
Netherlands
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
