Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 652 to 300 BCE. A faience ushabti of beautiful aqua blue hues in traditional mummiform with hands to chest holding crook and flail and band of hieroglyphs down the front. The pillar down its back indicates that this ushabti dates to the 26th Dynasty or later. Shabti (or ushabti) dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing the traditional ancient Egyptian headdresses. The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, their spirits would have to work in the "Field of Reeds" owned by the god of the underworld, Osiris. This meant doing agricultural labor - and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs. The affluent elites and nobility in Egyptian society were able to have shabtis made of faience; blue faience was meant to reflect the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife. The hieroglyphic inscriptions gave the shabti their power, telling Osiris that they were to do work for him. Size: 6.25" H (15.9 cm)

Provenance: private Paris, France collection, acquired in 1964 at Cleopatra Gallery, Cairo, Egypt

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#132162

Repaired from two pieces with a visible fissure across lower leg area. Normal surface wear with minor nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Old inventory label on verso.