Amulet of a Bes-image

A small glazed faience amulet of the Bes-image, a dwarf-like protective figure, shown frontally with a tall plumed crown, bulging eyes, and hands at the sides. Its bright turquoise glaze has worn to reveal the pale body beneath, and the piece stands on a black plinth against a dark background.

Look closer: The pale body beneath the worn turquoise glaze shows where the blue has flaked away.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1080–664 BCE

Medium

Faience

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2667 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian, 2020