Shabti of the Overseer of the Antechamber, Horiraa

Possible OriginSaqqara, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 26

Date664-525 BCE

MediumFaience

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions6 11/16 x 2 x 1 7/8 in., 266 g (17 x 5.1 x 4.7 cm, 9 3/8 oz.)

Object number2018.010.585

Label TextThis pale gray-green faience shabti belonged to a man called Horiraa, the Overseer of the Antechamber, who lived in Dynasty 26 during the reigns of Kings Necho II and Psamtik II (ca. 610–589 BCE). In his role, he was responsible for educating the royal children of Necho II and Psamtik II, and possibly even those of King Apries. Horiraa was a respected member of the elite and the royal court. Psamtik II gave Horiraa the significant honor of a “good name,” Neferibranefer. A good name was an additional name that incorporated part of the king’s throne name. Horiraa’s tomb was found intact on the southeast side of the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, in Tomb LS 23. Approximately four hundred shabtis were discovered in two chests there.

The shabti is mummiform and wears a plain Saite lappet wig and beard. His hands protrude through the mummy wrappings and grasp a hoe. In the right hand, Horiraa holds a rope over his shoulder secured to a small bag. He has a back pillar, a standard feature on shabtis from Dynasty 26 to the Ptolemaic period. The shabti spell is incised in a neat hand without horizontal guidelines to differentiate the rows.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 90.

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

Status

Not on view

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