ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Shabti of King Psusennes I

Possible OriginTanis, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodThird Intermediate Period, Dynasty 21, Reign of Psusennes I

Date1051-1006 BCE

MediumBronze

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions2 11/16 x 13/16 x 9/16 in. (6.9 x 2.1 x 1.5 cm)

Object number2018.010.320

Label TextThis small bronze figure is one of at least 226 shabtis belonging to King Psusennes I. Psusennes, the son of Pinudjem I and Queen Henuttawy, who ruled half of Egypt from Tanis during Dynasty 21. At this time, the kingship of Egypt was split between a northern king in Tanis and the high priests of Amun in Karnak to the south. During Psusennes’s reign, his brother, Menkheperre, ruled coevally in Thebes during a time of relative prosperity.

Psusennes I’s mummiform shabti stands at just under two inches (five centimeters) tall. He wears a lappet wig. His arms are crossed, and he holds an incised hoe in each hand. On his back, a small rectangular bag sits below his wig. Below the king’s arms, a single column of hieroglyphs reads, “The Osiris, King Pasebakhaenniwt (Psusennes I), beloved of Amun.” Bronze shabtis were uncommon in the Third Intermediate period. However, by having bronze shabtis, Psusennes I followed in the footsteps of the kings of the 19th and 20th Dynasties, Ramesses II and III.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, March 11, 2024 - Present
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 83.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Jean-François Mignon, Aix-en Provence, France.

Status

On view

Collections