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LOT 0048
Egyptian Faience Ushabti
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
5 7/8 in. (134 grams, 15 cm).
Mummiform figure with black-pigment facial detailing, sidelock, tripartite wig, dorsal seed-net, tiered collar, and vertical panel of hieroglyphic text.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12848-241648.
Cf. The Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2015.050.002-.005, for four shabtis of Hori, similar to the example here.
FootnotesA shabti (also known as ushabti or shawabti) is a small funerary figurine found in ancient Egyptian tombs, from around 2000 BCE to 30 BCE. Its main purpose was to act as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife, carrying out manual tasks like farming or irrigation as directed by the gods. Shabtis were frequently inscribed with a magical formula from the Book of the Dead to ensure they would animate when summoned.
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AUCTIONS:
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Romano-Egyptian Mosaic Glass Fragments
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Including geometric and other patterns. 18 grams total, 5-30 mm
Ex Gallery Mikazuki prior to 1984. Propery of a London, UK, gentleman. -
Egyptian Deep Blue Faience Shabti with Hieroglyphic Inscription
Third Intermediate Period, 1069-735 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Comprising the upper part of the mummiform figure with the arms crossed at the chest and holding agricultural implements in each hand, wearing a tripartite wig with a headband with ties hanging down at the back; a seed bag suspended below the wig; the outline of the hoes, striations on the wig and the seed bag painted black; a central column of hieroglyphs on the front; mounted on a display stand. 125 grams total, 13 cm including stand
Ex Shropshire, UK, collection. From a Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. -
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Egyptian Faience Bes Amulet
Late Period, 664-332 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Rectangular plaque with a head of Bes modelled in low relief on one side and symbols on the reverse; pierced longitudinally. 3.54 grams, 20 mm
Ex early 20th century collection, London, UK.
From the New Kingdom onwards, Bes became one of ancient Egypt's most popular apotropaic deities. Despite his somewhat fearsome appearance, Bes served as the patron and protector of pregnant women and children, and was also believed to shield them from snakes. Double-sided Bes amulets appear during the Third Intermediate Period and continued into the Late Period, possibly perpetuated in part by Levantine demand (Cf. Pierrat-Bonnefois, G., ”Les questions d'identité culturelle que soulèvent certaines faïences de la première moitié du Ier millénaire”, dans Bonadies, L., Chirpanlieva, I., Guillon, É. (dir.), Les Phéniciens, les Puniques et les autres. Échanges et identités en Méditerranée ancienne, Orient & Méditerranée 31, Paris, 2019, pp. 58-60, fig. 5b).
