Egyptian Blue Faience Ushabti

With repousse striations to the wing case, details of the feathers to the wings; pierced for attachment to mummy wrappings; mounted in a glass-fronted case. 4.09 grams, 18.2 cm wide total (504 grams including case)

Fine condition. Rare.

From a German gallery in the 1970s. From an important European collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12125-211120.

Arch-topped and composed of two vertical boards, coated with gesso and skilfully painted on one side; the lunette decorated with a winged sun-disc and two pendant uraei; the central vignette depicting the deceased worshipping the falcon-headed god Ra-Horakhty with the Four Sons of Horus standing behind, each with their name written above; the lower register with six lines of hieroglyphic text providing an offering formula for the benefit of the deceased: Transliteration of the hieroglyphs: 1) ḥtp-dı-͗nsw rꜤ-ḥr-Ꜣḫtı͗nṯr Ꜥ nb pt sḥḏ [.....] wsır͗ ẖntt [ım͗ntt?] 2) nṯr Ꜥ nb Ꜣbḏw dı⸗͗f pr.t-ḫrw t ḥnḳt kꜢ Ꜣpd [....] ḫt nb(t) (n) fr(t) wꜢbt […] 3) ḫt nbt nḏm dı⸗͗f ḥtpw ḏfꜢw [...]f ḫꜢ m t dı⸗͗f ḫꜢ m 4) ḥnḳt dı⸗͗f ẖꜢ ır͗p [...] dı⸗͗f ḫꜢ m ı͗[...] dı⸗͗f ḫꜢ ı(͗Ꜣ)r(r)t dı⸗͗f 5) m snṯr ḥr ḫꜢwt [...] ḳrs nfr ḥr ım͗nt nfr 6) n [..] wsır͗ [......] pꜢ-dı-͗ım͗n(m) ıp͗ Ꜣ.t ms (n) ḫꜢ [....] Translation: 1) An offering that the king and Ra-Horakhty, Great God, Lord of Heaven, the illuminated [...] Osiris Foremost [of the West?] 2) Great God, Lord of Abydos (that) he may give a voice-offering (of) bread, beer, oxen, and fowl […] everything good and pure […] 3) everything sweet, he gives offerings of provisions […] a thousand of bread, he gives a thousand of 4) beer, he gives a thousand of wine […], he gives a thousand of vines, he gives a thousand of 5) incense on the altar […] a good burial in the beautiful West 6) for […] the Osiris[…] Pa-di-Amun-(em)-ipat born (to) Kha[…]; on the verso, an old handwritten collection label reading: 'From Harding & Sm[ith] Collection Sale Sotheby 2 Nov 1922 L.N. 234. A families[sic] stele, arched top, with the deceased worshipping a standing Horus attended by the four Children of Horus and six horizontal lines of inscription in colour. SP/10a'; mounted in a custom-made wooden frame. 1.96 kg, 45 cm high



From the collection of the late W. Harding Smith (1848-1922). with Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge, 34 & 35 New Bond Street, 2 November 1922, no.234. Old handwritten label to verso reading 'From ‘....’ ‘....’ collection Sale Sotheby 2 Nov 1922 L.N.234...' Accompanied by an academic report by Egyptologist Paul Whelan. Accompanied by a copy of the 1922 Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge catalogue pages.

Naturalistic detailing to the blue stained body and legs with section of openwork between the front and back legs; hieroglyphs on base giving the good luck message 'When Amun is behind you, do not fear'; pierced for suspension. 1.72 grams, 15 mm



Ex collection of Emil Saad, Paris-Alexandria.