Egyptian, Third Intermediate Period, ca. 1070 – 712 B.C.

Faience

H: 11.5 cm

PROVENANCE: Acquired by a couple of American collectors in Egypt in the early 20th century.

EXHIBITED: The Museum of Man, California, 1967-68.

SERIAL NO: 25865

The iconography and purpose of the ushabtis seem to have been standardized from the late New Kingdom. These figurines functioned as substitutes for servants in the afterlife that would be needed to complete chores of daily life for the deceased master. In the most humble tombs, the funerary figurines are simply made of terracotta or raw clay, covered with a white wash. The statuette is in the form of a mummy, wrapped in a shroud and standing upright with both feet together. The hands are crossed on the chest and hold a pair of A-shaped hoes, tools necessary for agricultural work, and seed sack, painted in black. The ushabti wears a tripartite wig with locks of hair indicated by incised lines. The facial features are carefully modeled and suggest the individual portrait. The narrow tressed beard is attached under the chin. The front has a vertical column of text: "The Osiris, overseer of granaries, Djedkhonsu-iwf-ankh, justified". The intact statuette has a bright turquoise color and original luster, which makes it aesthetically appealing. The figure is mold-made from faience, a typical Egyptian material. The shiny surface of faience does not depend on glaze or enamel, but is due to the migration on the surface of the quartz and copper oxides contained in the paste. Fired at relatively low temperatures, about 800°-900°C, these elements turn blue during the vitrification process.