Egyptian Late Dynastic Faience Ushabti

**First Time At Auction**

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A mold-formed faience ushabti figure, upright in a mummiform position: feet jutting forward on the integral plinth, fused legs below the folded arms, facing forward serenely. The head is crowned by the classic tripartite wig and postiche beard. Small ridges line the left shoulder, indicating a seed bag hanging down the back, and a faint relief hoe is visible on the right shoulder. The surface of the faience is a deep brown, and lighter tones on the feet indicate that the ushabti was painted at one time, perhaps blue and white, symbolic of the sacred Nile. Hieroglyphs extend up from the feet to the waist, which would imbue life-like power to the figure. The wealthy and nobility of Egyptian society commissioned ushabtis made of faience, such as this piece, to accompany them as field workers in the afterlife. Size: 1" W x 3.9" H (2.5 cm x 9.9 cm); 5.06" H (12.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Ushabti (or shabti) 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 hieroglyphic inscriptions imbued the ushabti with power and they became servants that did the hard labor for their masters in the afterlife. This ushabti, with the seed bag and hoe, is thus ready to aid in this task. By the Third Intermediate period, this practice had become so necessary and elaborate that some tombs contained one ushabti worker for every day of the year and thirty-six overseers, each responsible for ten laborers!

Provenance: ex-Estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA acquired before 2000

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#158394
Condition Report: Softening of finer details. Surface pitting and wear commensurate with age. Minor abrasions to high relief areas.