Rare Egyptian Bone Cosmetic Container of Bes Form

Egypt, Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664 to 30 BCE. An exceedingly rare cosmetic vessel carved from cow or ox bone depicting the Bes, the bow-legged dwarf deity of cosmetics and a protector of women and children. The three-dimensional vessel is replete with meticulous details and illustrates Bes squatting atop an integral shallow plinth with his bulbous belly grazing the ground and holding both bent arms in a defensive pose. Bes dons a leopard pelt with incised striations representing spots, a belt around his waist, and a leopard-head pendant centered between his sagging chest. His gleefully aggressive face bears protruding eyes, flared nostrils, a furrowed brow, and puffy lips flanked with the curled strands of his shaggy, mane-like beard. A capital adorned by palm or papyrus plant motifs tops his head, and a narrow vessel mouth leads down into the interior. Figural cosmetic vessels of Bes are rather uncommon. Furthermore, intact vessels carved from bone like this example are exceedingly rare. Size: 1.1" W x 1.875" H (2.8 cm x 4.8 cm)

For a strikingly similar example formed from faience and painted with vibrant pigments, please see The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1995.13.

Provenance: ex-Phoenicia Holyland Antiquities, New York, New York, USA; ex-private Ms. Francis collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the late 1990s

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#153599
Condition Report: Minor nicks and abrasions to base, figure, and top, with heavy encrustations within interior cavity, and very light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and near-choice. Light earthen deposits across exterior and smooth patina throughout.