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Shawabty
Egyptian
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18–20
1550–1070 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Wood
Dimensions
Height x width: 22.6 x 7.1 cm (8 7/8 x 2 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Miss Mary S. Ames
Accession Number11.1496
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsTomb equipment – Shawabties and shawabty boxes
DescriptionThe surface of this wooden shawabty is discolored with brown in many areas. It depicts a mummiform figure wearing an undetailed duplex wig. Fully modelled arms are crossed opposite right over left on the chest. Traces of reddish-brown remain on the upper body, while scant traces of black painted hieroglyphic text on a yellow field can be discerned on the legs. Facial details have been accentuated with black paint as well. The surface of the shawabty is chipped. Part of the foot has broken off.
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 length 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.
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 length 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.
ProvenanceBy 1909: purchased in Egypt by Joseph Lindon Smith; 1909: on loan to the MFA; 1911: purchased by the MFA through funds provided by Mary S. Ames.
(Accession date: August 3, 1911.)
(Accession date: August 3, 1911.)