Antico Egitto Faenza Ushabti per il generale Pakhaas, figlio di Tachedidi. XXX dinastia, 380 - 343 a.C. Altezza 19 cm.

Ushabti for General Pakhaas.

Ancient Egypt, 30th Dynasty, 380 - 343 B.C.

Faience

19 cm height and 21.5 with stand.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Great Britain. Acquired before the 1970s.

CONDITION: Good condition.

DESCRIPTION:

This ushebti figure is depicted as a labourer, wielding a hoe and a pickaxe, carrying a sack on his back, to work in the fields of Osiris in the Beyond. He wears a tripartite wig that descends between his shoulders, and a curly Osirian beard, ending in a sharp forward curve. From his mummiform shroud, which covers his entire body, only his hands, crossed over his chest, hold the aforementioned agricultural tools. At the back there is the typical dorsal pillar, common in these figures, and the whole figure is supported on a square base.

Above the legs is a column of hieroglyphic writing indicating the name of the deceased and his titles: ‘The enlightened Osiris, General of the Army, Pakhaas, justified’.

This personage is well known in Egypt. His tomb was discovered in 1840 in the esplanade of Giza.

The ushebtis were modelled after an original bivalve. The burrs were then removed from the joint, and while the paste was still wet, the details of the image were retouched and the registers were distributed on which the signs of the writing were engraved. This makes each ushebti unique, even when using the same mould.

The material used for its creation is fayenza, composed of fine sand cemented by a silicate of soda (carbonate and bicarbonate of soda, extracted from Natrum). Fired in an oxidising atmosphere of 950º, the mixture gave a glazed finish, as the carbonates formed a vitreous layer on the surface. It was a simple procedure and therefore an inexpensive material. The green and blue tones were achieved by the addition of a few grams of copper oxide, extracted from malachite or azurite. The red tones were obtained with iron oxide, the intense blues with cobalt, and the black by mixing iron and magnesium oxide with water. It was enough to paint with a brush before firing the details that one wished to achieve with another colour.

The ushebtis, an Egyptian term meaning ‘those who answer’, were figures representing the deceased himself; they appeared in the Middle Kingdom and became popular during the New Kingdom, forming part of the funerary trousseau. Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead, referring to these figures, or a very simple version with the name and titles of the deceased, was placed on the body. Their use allowed the owner to enjoy the afterlife and the ushebti acted as a labourer, substituting for its owner in the work of the Aaru fields, the Egyptian paradise, as the Egyptians believed that the spirits of these figures would work for them in the afterlife and thus obtain their livelihood. The ushebtis placed in the trousseau consisted of 365 figurines, one for each day of the year. In addition, 36 foremen could be added, who commanded each of the crews composed of 10 workers, in order to prevent possible revolts. These figures could be placed in a wooden box designed for this purpose, or in many cases they could be placed in a group in a place close to the sarcophagus. In the Late Antiquity these figurines were massively elaborated, increasing their number and use in the tombs of the Late Antique period.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

- NEWBERRY, Percgy E. Funerary Statuettes and Model Sarcophagui. Catalogue General des Antiquites Egyptiennes du Musee du Caire. 1957. n. 46530-48575.

PARALLELS:

- Brooklyn Museum. USA. Entry no. 37.141E.
- Cairo Museum. Egypt. no. 47465, 47473, 47466 found in Giza.






Notes:
The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.
The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged, he will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days.
The piece includes authenticity certificate.
The piece includes Spanish Export License.
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