Object Description
An ancient Egyptian light blue faience shabti featuring a hieroglyphic inscription. The shabti is depicted in typical mummiform fashion, standing upright on an integrated base with arms crossed over the chest. He holds upon each shoulder a piece of farming equipment, likely a hoe. The facial features have been carefully carved to portray large eyes, a straight nose and a closed mouth. A false, long, rectangular beard features to the chin and a tripartite wig is worn upon the head. The hieroglyphic inscription is constructed in a horizontal channel across the body, then in a vertical column down the legs. Though worn, the inscription likely reads as a dedication to Osiris and a wish for protection for the mummy’s owner. The reverse displays a flat dorsal column with a horizontal groove beneath the head depicting the end of the wig.
N.B. This piece cannot stand unaided.
Date: Circa 664-332 BC
Period: Late Period