ITEM: Shabti with hieroglyphs
MATERIAL: Faience
CULTURE: Egyptian
PERIOD: Late period, 664 - 332 B.C
DIMENSIONS: 81 mm x 24 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex French private collection, acquired between 1980 - 1990

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

Egyptian shabtis, also known as ushabtis, are small funerary figurines that played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian burial practices. These figures, typically made from materials like faience, wood, or stone, were placed in tombs to serve as surrogate laborers for the deceased in the afterlife. The primary purpose of shabtis was to perform manual labor on behalf of the deceased in the fields of the afterlife, thus ensuring that the deceased would have assistance in their eternal existence. Shabtis were usually inscribed with spells from the "Book of the Dead" or other funerary texts, which were meant to invoke their services in the afterlife.

The design and appearance of shabtis evolved over time, reflecting changes in artistic styles and religious practices. Early shabtis were relatively simple and unadorned, but by the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE), they became more elaborate and were often painted with intricate details. Common features include a mummy-like appearance, with the figure depicted in a wrapped, sarcophagus-like pose, and sometimes holding agricultural tools such as hoes or sickles, symbolizing their intended tasks in the afterlife. The more affluent or high-status individuals had shabtis of superior craftsmanship and material, sometimes including hundreds of these figures in their tombs to ensure ample labor in the afterlife.

Shabtis also offer insights into the socio-religious aspects of ancient Egyptian culture. The use of these figurines underscores the importance of the afterlife in Egyptian religion, where ensuring that one had enough shabtis could be seen as a measure of one's devotion and wealth. The variety of shabtis found in different tombs provides information about social status, religious beliefs, and the evolution of funerary practices over centuries.