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Shawabty

Egyptian
Late Period, Dynasty 26
664–525 B.C
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, Room G 7524 a, debris

Medium/Technique Pottery
Dimensions Legacy dimension: H. 0.215
Credit Line Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number29.1861
NOT ON VIEW

DescriptionUninscribed. Pottery. R. B. W. Female. Hands on breast. No implements. End of wig and base chipped.

An ancient Egyptian shawabty is a funerary figurine that was intended to magically animate in the Afterlife in order to act as a proxy for the deceased when called upon to tend to field labor or other tasks. This expressed purpose was sometimes written on the shawabty itself in the form of a "Shawabty Spell," of which versions of various lengths are known. Shorter shawabty inscriptions could also just identify the deceased by name and, when applicable, title(s). However, many shawabtys carry no text at all. The ideal number of such figurines to include in a tomb or burial seems to have varied during different time periods.
ProvenanceFrom Giza, Room G 7524 a, debris, 1928: Excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Egypt.

March, 1928