Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 22nd Dynasty, ca. 1069 to 720 BCE. A gorgeous mold-formed faience ushabti of a petite form decorated with lustrous glaze of a cornflower-blue hue. The slender figure stands in mummiform with fused feet and legs and holds crossed hands atop the smooth chest while grasping two symbolic picks. The minimalist visage boasts faint eyes, a flush nose, and small ears, with a black-painted headband wrapped around the top of a simple tripartite wig. A column of painted hieroglyphic text atop the legs, though untranslated, identifies Osiris as well as the name and perhaps the title of the deceased. Size: 0.875" W x 2.875" H (2.2 cm x 7.3 cm); 3.375" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.
Shabti (or ushabti) dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing 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 Osiris, the god of the underworld. This meant doing agricultural labor, which was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs. The wealthier nobility in Egyptian society were able to have shabtis made of coveted faience, and blue faience was meant to reflect the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Harvey Sarner collection, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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#146350
Condition
Light restoration and overpainting to several small areas across obverse and reverse. Minor abrasions and nicks to feet, body, and head, with light encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout.