HOME :
Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Collection/HK : Faience Ushabti of the 26th Dynasty
|
 |
|
|
Faience Ushabti of the 26th Dynasty - PF.0483
Origin: Sakhara, Egypt
Circa: 664
BC
to 525
BC
Dimensions:
6.5" (16.5cm) high
x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide
x 1.25" (3.2cm) depth
Collection: Egyptian
Style: Late Dynastic Period
Medium: Faience
Location: UAE
|
|
|
Photo Gallery |
|
Description |
The figure is inscribed with a text of eight lines which
translates as follows: 1) Illumine Osiris--Har, child of
Hathor in the necropolis when he says: O Ushabti 2)
this. Act in the form of Osiris--Har, child of Hathor in
the necropolis. Do all the 3) work there in the
necropolis. Then you will smite there as 4) a man at
his affairs. Behold me, say 5) you. If one numbers at
any time, cause to 6) grow the fields, to cause to fill
the channels 7) to carry sand from the west to the
east 8) and vice-versa. Behold me, say you.
Ushabti figure, also spelled shabti or shawabty, any
of the small statuettes made of wood, stone, or
faience that are often found in large numbers in
ancient Egyptian tombs. The figures range in height
from approximately 4 to 20 inches (10 to 50 cm) and
often hold hoes in their arms. Their purpose was to
act as a magical substitute for the deceased owner
when the gods requested him to undertake menial
tasks in the afterlife; the word ushabti is usually
translated as “answerer.” During the New Kingdom
(1539–1075 BCE) the figures were made to resemble
the tomb owner by being fashioned in the form of a
mummy bearing the owner’s name.
- (PF.0483)
|
|
|