Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 672 to 525 BCE. A wonderful, large shabti (ushabti) in the classic, carefully modeled style of the 26th Dynasty. The figure stands, mummiform, holding a hoe in each crossed arm. Comes with custom stand. Size: 2.2" W x 7.7" H (5.6 cm x 19.6 cm)

An inscription consisting of several lines with hieroglyphs covers the body of the shabti from its arms to the feet: "He was prophet of Herichef a ram headed god who was revered in the Heracleopolis area". Shabti were placed in tombs as grave goods, created to do manual labor for the deceased in the afterlife. As a result, they are frequently depicted with arms crossed, holding hoes and baskets. Towards the end of 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 this one are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Many, like this one, are inscribed with pleas to Osiris.

The sarcophagus, his cartonnage, sokaris, shabti box and a large group of shabtis from Ankhemmaat were exhibited and published by the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Le crepuscule Des Pharaohs in 2012.

Provenance: ex-Private collection USA 1981 Bryan Bodner after that Sotheby's New York June 12 1993 lot 69

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#119783

Surface wear and pitting as shown.