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Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Egyptian
Title:Shabti
Date Made:747-332 BCE (Dynasties 25-31)
Type:Ceremonial
Materials:Egyptian faience, formed in mold; paint
Place Made:Africa; Asia; Egypt
Measurements:Overall: 5 3/4 in x 2 in x 1 5/8 in; 14.6 cm x 5.1 cm x 4.1 cm
Accession Number:  MH 1910.8.2.A.K
Credit Line:Gift of Professor Louise Fitz Randolph
Museum Collection:  Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
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Description:
Bearded mummiform figure of pale milky green. Six lines of fragmentary, illegible hieroglyphs painted in black on lower body over yellowish-brown ground. Arms crossed, right over left, each hand holding a hoe. Hoes and facial features are molded. Back has a molded bag at left shoulder, indentation at base of wig, and traces of a painted column of text.

Label Text:
Ancient Egyptians were obliged to perform certain tasks for the state, including agricultural labor. Small mummy-shaped figurines called “shabtis” were introduced to perform this work in the afterlife and often carried hoes or seed-baskets. Initially, the deceased was given only one shabti, but the number increased dramatically over time. From the 18th Dynasty on, shabtis sometimes appeared dressed as living people rather than as mummies. These statuettes could be made of earthenware, Egyptian faience, stone, or other materials. Egyptian faience, a ceramic substance composed of quartz granules fused with alkali, frequently appears in bright colors that imitate lapis lazuli or turquoise.

2016

Tags:
ancient; archaeology; tombs; deaths; afterlife; religion; rituals; ceremonies; sculpture; agriculture

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+1910.8.2.A.K

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

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