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LOT 0002
Egyptian Wooden Shabti
NEW KINGDOM, 19TH DYNASTY, 1293-1185 B.C.
10 5/8 in. (332 grams, 26.9 cm).
Carved in the round with detailed tripartite wig, hands crossed at the chest; some painted and gilded(?) plaster surface; mounted on a later base.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of Mrs Kilvert, who fled from France to England during the French Revolution.
Received by gift to the Hodge family from Mrs Kilvert at Bath in 1864-1865; thence by descent to the grandchildren of Mr John Hodge, a private London tutor.
From the collection of a New Zealand family; thence by descent.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12846-239090.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Janes, G., The Shabti Collections 5: A Selection from the Manchester Museum, Lymm, 2012, p.64, for a shabti with a similar decorative arrangement.
FootnotesA shabti, also known as ushabti or shawabti, is a small funerary figurine found in ancient Egyptian tombs, dating from around 2000 BCE to 30 BCE. Its main purpose was to serve as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife, carrying out manual tasks such as farming or irrigation. Shabtis were often inscribed with a magical formula from the Book of the Dead to ensure they would animate when summoned. The distinctive, lighter-coloured, and previously part-gilded upper body decoration, contrasting with the black used for the rest of the figure, may symbolise the moment of rebirth, when the face of the deceased was bathed in the sun's rays.
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