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LOT 0004
Egyptian Faience Hieroglyphic Shabti
LATE NEW KINGDOM-EARLY THIRD INTERMEDIATE PERIOD, CIRCA 1200-1000 B.C.
4 1/2 in. (87 grams, 11.3 cm).
Mummiform figure wearing a lappet wig, with arms crossed and holding a pick and hoe outlined in black; the wig, facial features, necklace, and seed bag painted black; hieroglyphic text to lower body: sḥḏ wsỉr "The illuminated, the Osiris".
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 6: A Selection from the World Museum, Liverpool, Lymm, 2016, p. 170-171, nos. 62-63, for similar partially inscribed shabtis.
FootnotesThe shabti was a stock product included with an opening dedication, awaiting the addition of the prospective purchaser's name. However, many examples of shabtis with only partial dedications are known to have been buried with the deceased.
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In early Christian iconography, the hare was a symbol representing primarily the Church hiding in Christ (the ‘rock’ of Psalm 103:18) from a sinful world. This interpretation drew from the Old Testament's description of the hare as a weak creature that makes its lair in the rock, signifying the Church's reliance on Christ for safety. It was also linked to resurrection and fertility.
