ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Shabti of Diesehebsed, Sister of Mentuemhat

Place FoundThebes, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 25

Date722-655 BCE

MediumSteatite

Credit LineGift of Dr. William E. Torres in memory of Josephine and Raymond Torres

Dimensions5 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. (14 x 4.4 cm)

Object number2007.014.001

Label TextFunerary figurines, or shabtis, were included with the burial equipment as substitute laborers for the deceased. The figures were typically inscribed with a spell to magically animate them in the afterlife and were depicted with tools in hand and a basket slung over the shoulder, ready to do any tasks required of the deceased by the gods. Shabtis were made of a wide variety of materials, including faience, clay, metal, and wood. In high status tombs of the Third Intermediate Period, one shabti was supplied for every day of the year, along with 36 overseers, dressed in flaring kilts and carrying a whip in one hand to manage the large workforce.
Exhibition HistoryLost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 9 - August 31, 2008
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2009 - Present
Published ReferencesBonhams, Antiquities and Tribal Art (April 26, 2007), 67, lot 144.

ProvenanceSaid to be from chapel tomb 4, Medinet Habu, Thebes, Egypt. Ex private collection, Netherlands. Purchased by MCCM from Bonhams London, April 26, 2007, sale 15215, lot 144.

Status

On view

Collections