Magical Relief
Description
Object Label: Although the winged god with a lion’s face and legs resembles Bes, this image is a composite of several forces represented by the multiple animal heads on the god’s crown. This multifaceted feline divinity stands over bound captives and animals symbolizing chaos—scorpion, turtle, and, apparently, a lion—because they inhabit the dangerous desert or marshes. The god’s power over chaos suggests his protective function. Originally, water flowed through the opening at the bottom of the stela, providing magical security, curing ailments and preventing harm. Catalogue description: Culture Egyptian Caption: Egyptian. Magical Relief, 305–30 B.C.E.. Limestone, 31 1/2 x 25 1/2 x 5 in., 238 lb. (80 x 64.8 x 12.7 cm, 107.96kg) with mount: 322 lb. (146.06kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.229. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A weathered limestone relief shows a central winged/human figure with outstretched arms standing between symmetrical curving elements and surrounded by small carved figures or symbols.
The object is a stone relief fragment with a roughly rectangular shape. The surface is heavily weathered and many details are shallow. In the center is a standing figure with a stylized head and crossed/raised arms; behind or above the figure appears a broad, angular form that could represent wings or a back pillar. Around the figure are mirrored, curved, and block-like elements that resemble protective or decorative motifs. Small rounded or animal-like forms appear near the central figure’s torso/arms, but their identities cannot be confirmed. The bottom register shows a horizontal band of incised/raised elements; however, no clearly legible hieroglyphs are preserved. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible in the image. The overall iconography suggests a protective or magical theme, but specific deities, cartouches, or spell text are not confidently identifiable from the available image quality.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.229 tier-2
- BKM-Object 47426 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.