Bes

Plastered and painted wood. New Kingdom, Dynasties 19-20, 1293-1070 B.C. The lion god Bes, shown here playing a double-barreled flute, protected women in childbirth. The holes on the left hand edge, and the rectangular tenon growing out of his head, show that the figure was part of a piece of furniture-probably a bed. Bes would have guarded the dreams of anyone who slept in it.