EGYPTIAN GREEN STONE STATUETTE OF BES Late Period, probably XXVIth Dynasty (664-525 BC) A very fine statuette of the god Bes on a quadrangular base, sculptured in green hard stone. The god, patron of the family, protector of pregnant women and childbirth, is represented as a naked achondroplasiac dwarf, with shortened legs, prominent belly and an enlarged head with grotesque facial features: large staring eyes, protruding tongue, feline ears and a long thickly curled beard. He is wearing a feathered head-dress on his leonine head. His shoulder are covered hit a very stylized leopard skin: only the feline head is clearly visible under the head of the god. Both the god's hands are placed oh his flanks. His deformed body is emphasised by a leonine tail at the base of the back. For similar see: MET Museum Accession Number: 26.7.878 (subject). Size: 115mm x 35mm; Weight: 115g Provenance: Private UK collection; From an old British collection formed in the 1990s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter. This piece is accompanied by a report from Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy, member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition.