Lot 1A
Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21, ca. 1069 to 945 BCE. An impressive ushabti formed from sunbaked Nile silt clay and enveloped in black wash with white-painted details and hieroglyphs naming Mery-Maat as the owner. Standing in a mummiform pose with legs merged, this minimalist figurine embodies the distinctive attributes characteristic of the 21st Dynasty. These include a centrally-place backpack, a seshet hairband, and a hoe grasped in each hand. Notably, a series of four white-painted dots is carefully placed on the forehead, just beneath the seshet. Size: 1.8" W x 4.8" H (4.6 cm x 12.2 cm)
Ushabti (or shabti) dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing traditional ancient Egyptian headdresses that were left in tombs to function as servants for the recently deceased and help them with agricultural work in the afterlife. 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. Thus, agricultural labor was required of all members of society, from workers to pharaohs.
For related examples see: H. Schneider, Shabtis (Leiden, 1977), p. 147 no. 4.5.1.24 Shabti for Khaas, Cache II L. Aubert, Les Statuettes funeraires de la Deuxieme Cachette a Deir el- Bahari (Paris, 1998), p. 84 no. 32 Shabti for Khaas, Cache II
This piece was on loan to the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (RAFFMA) at California State University in San Bernadino, California from 2008 to 2022 (Museum label number EL.01.005.2007).
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report will accompany the item upon purchase.
Provenance: Collection of Dr. W. Benson Harer, Los Angeles, California, USA, previously a lot of 3; ex-Sands of Time Gallery, Washington DC, USA, acquired November 12, 2005; ex-Dr. Ulrich Muller collection, Zurich, Switzerland, prior to 1978
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#180917
- Condition: Two stable hairline fissures vertically crossing front and back, as well as some minor abrasions and nicks, commensurate with age. Touching up to white pigment. Otherwise, intact and excellent. TL hole to underside of feet.
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