Object Description
An Egyptian, light turquoise, glazed faience shabti with 6 rows of horizontal hieroglyphic inscriptions. The figure wears a tripartite-wig decorated with striations. The face is finely modelled in relief with delicate facial features, highlighting the eyebrows, nose and mouth. The hands are crossed above the waist, holding a pick and hoe. The hieroglyph inscriptions are not fully legible due to the deterioration of the glaze. However, it is possible to make out vaguely in the centre of the first row, the sign ???? “ms” which is usually used in the construction “born to”, followed by the names of the mother or father of the deceased. The hieroglyphic inscription is thus a form of the shabti spell that starts with naming the deceased “The illuminated Osiris, X, justified, born to, Y”. A stylised seed-basket hangs over the left shoulder of the shabti. This is to symbolise the work shabtis are expected to carry out, as they labour for their owner (the deceased) in the afterlife. There is also a back-pillar and a plinth beneath the feet. A modern plastic base has been attached to the plinth.
Date: Circa 664-525 BC
Period: Late Period, 26th Dynasty