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-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A stone relief depicting a figure with multiple arms, possibly a deity, surrounded by various symbolic elements.
The artifact is a rectangular stone relief featuring a centrally positioned figure with multiple arms, which may indicate a divine or supernatural representation. The figure is adorned with a headdress and surrounded by additional carved elements, possibly symbolic or narrative in nature. The style suggests a blend of artistic conventions, with emphasis on symmetry and detail. The surface is weathered, indicative of significant age.
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.