| Maker(s): | Unknown
| | Culture: | Egyptian
| | Title: | Shabti of the Divine Adoratress Kedmerout
| | Date Made: | 945-712 BCE (Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty 22)
| | Type: | Sculpture
| | Materials: | Faience, formed in mold; paint
| | Place Made: | Africa; Asia; Egypt
| | Measurements: | Overall: 4 5/16 in x 1 7/16 in x 2 1/16 in; 11 cm x 3.7 cm x 5.2 cm
| | Narrative Inscription: | On front, in column below hands: "The Osiris, the Lord of the Two Lands," followed in cartouche by "the God's Wife..." The name that follows is difficult to read, but seems to be "Kedmerout".
| | Accession Number: | MH 1910.9.5.A.K
| | Credit Line: | Gift of the Egypt Exploration Fund
| | Museum Collection: | Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
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Description:
Mummiform figure of bright turquoise faience. Arms crossed, right over left. Slight protrusions for hands. Molded uraeus on brow. Flat back. Black paint for eyes, brows, two hoes, text column below hands (See Inscription field for details), headband with streamers, and cross-hatched rectangular seed bag suspended on two long straps from shoulders on back. The object comes from the same mold as MH 1910.9.1-4.A.K.
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+1910.9.5.A.K |
