An Egyptian bright blue glazed faience shabti of the High Priest of Amun, Pinudjem I
Third Intermediate Period, circa 1070-1032 B.C.
13.3cm high
Footnotes:
Provenance:
Bodo Bleß (1940-2022) collection, Berlin, formed from ca. 1960 onwards.

Wearing a striped nemes-headdress, the frontal single column of hieroglyphic text including a cartouche containing the king's throne name: 'Kha-kheper-ra-sotep-en-amun'. For another shabti for Pinudjem I see the Cleveland Museum of Art, acc. no. 1914.582. Cf. also J.F. and L. Aubert, Statuettes Égyptiennes, Chaouabtis, ouchebtis, Paris, 1974, pl. 26, fig. 56.

Pinudjem I was the ruler of Upper Egypt and High Priest of Amun at Thebes from 1070-1032 B.C. Following the period of destabilisation which blighted the end of Ramessess XI's reign, Egypt split into the two independent kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, with the former being governed throughout the Third Intermediate Period from Thebes by the High Priests of Amun. Pinudjem I is known to have had three brothers and a sister, Faienmut, and was married to Henttawy I, as well as at least two other women. Pinudjem I took full pharaonic titles from around 1054 B.C., and is mentioned as king, alongside Henttawy, who is named as queen, on a stela from Koptos. He was buried in the Royal Cache of Deir el-Bahri, where he had transferred the mummies of the New Kingdom during his reign. His mummy was discovered in TT320 in Western Thebes in 1881 and taken to Cairo Museum for unwrapping; its present location is unknown.

For further discussion of the lives of the High Priests of Amun, see A. Dodson, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, London, 2004, pp. 196-209.
This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: *
* VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.

The feet have been restored, with the restoration beginning at the ankles. It is clearly visible as a slightly different colour surface. There do not appear to be any further breaks to the shabti.

There is some minor pitting to the surface. There are several linear firing (?) cracks on the surface - including one running across the top of the head, another above the proper left elbow (U-shaped), one running around the proper right side of the beard, and one running down from the crossed wrists.

Small patches of brown encrustation on the surface overall. The glaze retains its glossy surface and the painted details are well preserved.

Affixed to a small black painted wood block as visible in the catalogue illustration - a Bless inventory sticker on the reverse reading '100'.