Egypt, Third Intermediate Period - 21st Dynasty. ca. 1070-715 BCE. This is a shabti doll with some pale blue faience coating remaining as well as the suggestion of where hieroglyphs would have been. The figure's arms are crossed over its chest and it is holding hoes (for a clearer photo of a shabti holding hoes in the similar manner, see the Faience shabti of Sety I on the British Museum website). 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 more wealthy 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: 1" L x 2" W x 4.5" H (2.5 cm x 5.1 cm x 11.4 cm).

Provenance: EX- Private Spanish collection purchased in 2004 at Hotel Drouot, Paris

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#100349

This piece has wear, but the shape is clear. It has been repaired in two places on the legs. Some of the original faience color remains.