Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 712 to 332 BCE. This is a pair of small faience shabtis, also known as ushabtis, which are bright blue and undecorated with hieroglyphs. Both have their arms crossed over their chests and are holding hoes (for a clearer photo of a shabti holding hoes in the similar manner, see the Faience shabti of Sety I on the British Museum website). Shabti (or ushabti) dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing the traditional ancient Egyptian headdresses. 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. This meant doing agricultural labor -- and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharoahs. By the Late Dynastic period, these items were being mass produced and people at most levels of Egyptian society were buried with them. Size of largest: 2-1/2" H x 3/4" W (6.4 cm x 1.9 cm).

Provenance: Bates Collection, Clarksville, IA, ex-Joel Malter Collection, acquired before 1990

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#110685

  • Condition: Both have some wear and patina, but the faience remains bright and their features are visible.

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January 30, 2017 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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