White-glazed Egyptian Faience Ushabti (Dynasty 21-22)
White-glazed Egyptian Faience Ushabti (Dynasty 21-22)
This ushabti represents a male figure with a short false beard and a rounded wig, only painted on the front part of the statuette.
1st millenium B.C., 2nd millenium B.C.
H: 13.9 cm
In stock
Product Description
This ushabti represents a male figure with a short false beard and a rounded wig, only painted on the front part of the statuette. The iconography does not differ from that of most contemporary ushabtis: wrapped in a shroud, the man has a round face and finely modeled features; he holds two hoes in his hands and his adornment is composed of a large three-row necklace. The posterior part of the statuette is undecorated.
The inscription reads: “May he be illuminated, the Osiris, the priest Sem, the great chief of Heri artisans”. The high priest of Ptah at Memphis was called “the great chief of all artisans”; he was the most important religious dignitary of the country under Ramses II (the period to which this statuette can be dated). The name Heri is attested in other Egyptian inscriptions mentioning two different high priests of Ptah, but only one other ushabti bearing this name is documented.
From the late New Kingdom on, the iconography and the purpose of the ushabtis were standardized: from substitutes for the deceased, these figurines became slaves and served their masters in the chores of daily life. In the Middle Kingdom, each deceased was accompanied by only one ushabti, but from the New Kingdom, their number increased significantly to one statuette per day of the year, or even more.
