Αρχαία Αίγυπτος, Πτολεμαϊκή Faience Shabti - 19.8 cm

Shabti. Egypt. Ptolemaic Dynasty (332-30 BC).

Shabtis were servant figures that were placed in Egyptian tombs, that carried out the tasks required of the deceased in the afterlife. It was necessary for the owner's name to be inscribed on an ushabti, along with a phrase sending them to action.

The figurines were inscribed with the "shabti text" – chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead – a spell that exhorts the shabti to substitute itself if the owner is asked to till the fields, irrigate the land, or transport sand from east to west. To this end, even royal shabtis are often depicted clutching a pick and a hoe, and with a basket hanging over one or both shoulders.

Provenance: Former private collection Gerald Stockton (Los Ángeles; 1970s).

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