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View: Obverse

Shawabty

Egyptian
Late Period, Dynasty 26–30
664–332 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Giza, Debris in pit G 7450 X II

Medium/Technique Faience
Dimensions Overall: 9.6 cm (3 3/4 in.)
Credit Line Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number29.1808
NOT ON VIEW

DescriptionThis mummiform shawabty is in the classic Late Period form which is characterized by tripartite wig, long beard, back pillar and base. The figure holds the pick on the right shoulder and hoe and cord to a small seed bag on the left. The arms are crossed opposite right over left. The shawabty is uninscribed. Little detail is discernible. A chip is missing from the right shoulder and arm.

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, debris in pit G 7450 X II. 1927: Excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Egypt.