Egyptian Nubian Faience Beaded Figure - Qebehsenuef

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, Nubian culture, Napatan Period, ca. 7th to 6th century BCE. A fine and delicate example of a beaded figure that was once part of a larger beaded mummy netting used in place of full coffins. The figure stands and faces to the left with one enormous yellow eye in front of an ambiguous face, and the body is decorated with diagonal bars of faience seed beads covered with lustrous glaze in hues of turquoise, crimson, cobalt, and cream. The large yellow eye identifies this figure as Qebehsenuef - the falcon-headed Son of Horus representative of the western direction, the protector of the intestines of the deceased, and a deity who is associated with and protected by the scorpion goddess Serqet. The figure still retains its original stringing and is a fine example of late Egyptian funerary tradition! Size: 1.625" W x 3.625" H (4.1 cm x 9.2 cm)

For a stylistically similar example of Qebehsenuef and the remaining three Sons of Horus on a full mummy bead netting from the Nubian culture, please see: Friedman, Florence Dunn, ed. "Gifts of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Faience." Thames and Hudson in associated with The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, 1998, p. 160, fig. 164 (left example).

Provenance: private Dunn collection, Coral Springs, Florida, USA, acquired in the 1990s; ex-Alex G. Malloy collection

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#151477
Condition Report: Stringing and beads are ancient; composition is glued to a fabric backing for preservation and presentation. Losses to some beads as shown. Minor nicks and encrustations to some beads, with very light fading to original glaze color, and minor fraying to some areas of original stringing. Light earthen deposits and great glaze pigment remains throughout.