LOT 0428

Egyptian Clay Overseer Shabti

LATE RAMESSIDE PERIOD-EARLY THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1200-945 B.C.

4 in. (44 grams total, 10 cm including stand).

A mould-made figurine depicting a figure wearing a duplex wig and the projecting apron of an overseer shabti, with defined legs and feet below; the right arm by the side and the left bent across the chest; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]

From the collection of David Donlan (1947-2025), a dedicated and lifelong collector with a passion for the ancient world and the natural sciences, forming his collection from 1960s onwards, using many reputable dealers across the United Kingdom, including the well-regarded Coincraft and The Parthenon Gallery.

Cf. Petrie, W.M.F., Gizeh and Rifeh, London, 1907, pl. XXVIIC (bottom left group, top left), for an example of a Ramesside mould-made figure converted to an overseer shabti type with a characteristic bent left arm.

Shabtis in daily life dress appeared in the late 18th Dynasty. By the late Ramesside Period, the general form had developed into the so-called “reis” or overseer figure, often depicted holding a whip. This form gained popularity during the subsequent 21st and 22nd Dynasties. Although this shabti lacks a whip, the bent arm is characteristic of those holding such a tool, suggesting that it belongs to the “reis” type. Ideally, there was one overseer shabti for every ten, typically mummiform, “worker” shabtis.