Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. This is a large pottery painted ushabti (shabti). Ushabti were placed in tombs as grave goods, created to do manual labor for the deceased in the afterlife. As a result, they are frequently depicted with arms crossed, holding hoes and baskets. Towards the end of the Pharaonic period, they had become so necessary and elaborate that some tombs contained one worker for every day of the year and thirty-six overseers, each responsible for ten laborers. Workers like this one are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Size: 2.75" W x 7.75" H (7 cm x 19.7 cm)

Provenance: Ex-private LA County, USA collection, acquired before 1990

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#116519

Some wear to paint but design is very clear.