CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Dynastic or Ptolemaic Egypt
DATE: 4th – 2nd Century BCE (29th / 30th Dynasty or Ptolemaic Period)
DIMENSIONS:  9.5 cm. (3.7 in.) tall

DESCRIPTION: A pale blue-green faience ushabti figure, depicted mummiform with arms crossed over the chest, holding the hoe and pick, wearing a tripartite wig and false beard, standing on a small, flat integral base. An illegible row of hieroglyphs runs down the figure’s front. A broad back pillar runs from the base to the back of the headdress. The figure is mold made and well modeled. The glaze is well preserved, with generally smooth, shiny surfaces and good color, and a few burst bubbles in recessed areas. Intact, with some minor encrustation.

PROVENANCE: Formerly in the Doorn-Koller Collection, formed in the late 19th and early 20th Century by the most recent owner’s grandfather Jakob Koller, and father Johan Doorn, while living in Egypt. Both collectors were knowledgeable about Egyptian art and hieroglyphs, being close friends with the Egyptologist Dr. Ferdinand Debono and acquainted with Howard Carter who presented them with his annotated diary.

PUBLISHED: Christie’s, ANTIQUITIES, 25 April, 2007, London, Page 86.

COMPARISONS: For ushabtis of this period, see Harry M. Stewart, Egyptian Shabtis, Shire Publications, LTD., Buckinghamshire, 1995, Pages 29-32.