Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A fabulous mold-formed faience ushabti covered in lustrous layers of soft blue-green glaze. The mummiform figure stands with fused legs atop an integral rectangular platform and holds the symbolic pick and hoe in crossed hands atop the chest. Bulging, heavy-lidded eyes, a triangular nose, full lips, and cupped ears comprise the stoic visage, with a braided false beard drooping from the chin, and a tripartite wig covers most of the head. An inscribed column of hieroglyphic text is presented along the front of the legs, and nicely-preserved traces of glaze within some symbols show just how vivid the glaze coloration was when this figure was first made. Custom wooden display stand included. Size: 1.8" W x 6.75" H (4.6 cm x 17.1 cm); 8.7" H (22.1 cm) on included custom stand.
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. During 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 these are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1960s
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#143442
Condition
Figure adhered to display stand and cannot be removed. Small abrasions to body and head, with fading to original glaze coloration, and softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as great traces of original glaze coloration throughout.