Object Description
A very finely modelled Ancient Egyptian turquoise-coloured glazed faience shabti, featuring a dorsal pillar to the reverse. The shabti is shown wearing a tripartite wig and a plaited false beard and holding a pick and a hoe in his crossed arms, a seed basket hangs behind him. The body has been inscribed with 10 horizontal bands of hieroglyphs. The moulded details remain very well preserved, with very clear facial features set in a serene expression and intact hieroglyphs. The first row includes the opening Osiris call, the name of the owner, Wedja-ef-ankhy, and his title, which is now faded. The transliteration follows below.
sḥd Wsir dd.f […] wꜣḏꜣ- f-ꜥnḫ ms (n) nfr-sbk (The illuminated one, the Osiris, Wedja-ef-ankhy, born to Nefer-Sobek: )
dd.f i wšbty ipn ir ip.tw Wsir (he speaks,: O, this ushabti, if one counts the Osiris,)
wꜣḏꜣ- f-ꜥnḫ ms (n) nfr-sbk r irt kꜣ.t (Wedja-ef-ankhy, born to Nefer-Sobek, justified,)
nb ir im m ẖrt-nṯr ist ḥw sḏb (w) im (to do all the works which are wont to be done there in the God’s land – )
m s r ẖrt.f mk wi kꜣ.k ip.tw tn r nw nb (now indeed obstacles are implanted therewith, as a man at his duties)
ir.t im r srwḏ sḫt r (“Here I am”, you shall say, at any time to serve there, whether to make the field grow,)
smḥy wdbw r hnt š’y imntt (r) iꜣbtt ts(to irrigate the river banks, to ferry the sand of the west to the east and vice-versa;)
phr mk wi kꜣ.tn (“Here I am”, you shall say…)
Height of the shabti without the stand: 19.7 cm
Date: Circa 640-343 BC
Period: Late Period