Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A stunningly deep blue faience overseer ushabti (shabti). The overseer figure carries a whip over its left shoulder. With hands exposed, a black wig, and a kilt-like piece of clothing, this figure is quite different from the more common mummiform worker ushabtis, whose job was to perform the laborious task of farming Osiris's fields after death in lieu of their deceased owner. A full set of ushabtis had 365 workers, one for each day of the year, and thirty-six overseers who were responsible for coordinating the workers. These figures give us a fascinating glimpse into Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife - that, if given the correct provisions, the dead could avoid eternal labor. These items are both startlingly practical - agricultural workers must have an overseer - and yet abstract, with the overseer and worker figures all small relative to the size of real humans and made of faience. Comes with custom stand. Size: 1.1" W x 3.25" H (2.8 cm x 8.3 cm); height on stand: 3.75" (9.5 cm)

Provenance: ex-Treasuregate Gallery, Brussels, Belgium; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, USA, 2008; ex-private Florida, USA collection

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#124485

Repaired at center. Excellent remaining pigment.