Egyptian Blue Faience Shabti: Huy

An ancient Egyptian large blue faience shabti of Huy, the High Priest of Ptah. The bearded mummiform figure wears a broad collar and necklace, a wig with a side lock of hair, his crossed hands hold hoes. A vertical Hieroglyphic inscription is painted on the front reading, “The illuminated one, the Osiris, Director of Craftsmen, Sem Priest, Huy.”

New Kingdom, Ramesside Period,

19th Dynasty, ca. 1279 - 1213 BC.

Height: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm).

Shabtis were first introduced in the Middle Kingdom as substitutes for the the mummy in case it was destroyed. During the Second Intermediate Period inscribed wooden figures called shawabtis (after the Egyptian word for wood, shawab) began to be placed in tombs. During the New Kingdom, shabtis assumed a new role as servant figures for the deceased. They were now depicted with agricultural equipment. By the Third Intermediate Period, the number of shabtis placed in the tomb was set at 401 (365 workers and 36 overseers). During the Late Period the tomb figures became known as ushabtis (‘answerers’), these figures represented servants who would magically answer when called upon to perform agricultural duties for the Pharaoh (in the form of Osiris) in the afterlife. Their main function was to ensure the individual’s comfort and freedom from daily labor in the next life.

The authenticity of this piece has been confirmed by a thermoluminescence test performed by QED laboratory in France and an XRF analysis performed by Emory University in Georgia.cf.: for this type: A. Weisse, Agyptische Kunst im Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig, (Paris, 1974), p. 61-2, no.67.

Formerly in the collection of Leopoldo Benguerel y Godo, Barcelona, acquired in London in the 1960's.

Inv#: 5883

Guaranteed Authentic

$7,500