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Egyptian Green Faience Mummiform Ushabti with Legged Back Pillar | Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period (c. 4th to 1st Century BCE)
Crafted during the final epochs of sovereign ancient Egyptian history, this green faience ushabti serves as a remarkably preserved talisman of eternal salvation. Dating to the Late Dynastic to Ptolemaic Period (c. 4th to 1st Century BCE), this mummiform figurine was engineered to act as a magical "answerer" for the deceased in the fields of the afterlife. Formed from a finely fused glass-like ceramic, the figure is depicted in the traditional guise of Osiris—the lord of the underworld—wearing a smooth tripartite wig and holding a molded pick and hoe crossed tightly over its chest to symbolize celestial agricultural labor. Centuries of burial within the tomb context have left the brilliant green silicate glaze beautifully altered, yielding a matte, earth-toned patina interwoven with deep mineral deposits. This ushabti’s modern itinerary links back to an expansive early 20th-century private collection, bearing a crisp, permanent hand-painted ledger number (11197 D) across its lower reverse column. Bridging thousands of years of funerary mysticism with modern curatorial provenance, this exceptional statuette stands as an unyielding material testament to ancient Egypt's enduring spiritual vision. Ptolemaic Period (c. 4th to 1st Century BCE) | Measures 4 ⅜ x 1 ¼ x ¾ inches (11.1 x 3.2 x 1.9 cm)
In the complex funerary theology of ancient Egypt, this figurine functioned as a vital spiritual proxy rather than a merely decorative sculpture. According to Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead, the afterlife mirrored the physical world, demanding manual labor such as farming, irrigating canals, and moving sand. To avoid this eternal toil, elite and middle-class Egyptians were buried with a specialized workforce of ushabtis (ideally 365, one for each day of the year). When the gods called upon the deceased to work, the figurine was magically animated to step forward and perform the tasks. Mass-produced by specialized temple coroplasts and purchased as an essential part of the burial ensemble, these figures were packed into decorated shabti-boxes and entombed alongside the sarcophagus. It was only the sealing of the tomb and its subsequent excavation millennia later that finally returned this symbolic servant to the light of the modern world.
Physical Place of Origin & Materials:
The material fabric and stylistic features of this figure place its production within the major glaze-firing centers of Lower Egypt, most notably the industrial workshops of Memphis or the Nile Delta region. The item is composed of Egyptian faience—an ancient, non-clay ceramic made from a crushed quartz and silica core mixed with lime and soda ash. During the firing process, copper-based oxides in the mixture migrated to the outer surface, vitrifying at nearly one thousand degrees Celsius to form a gleaming, glassy turquoise-green outer shell. To the ancient Egyptians, this green hue was deeply symbolic of fresh vegetation, renewal, and the resurrection of Osiris. On the reverse side, the slight irregularities and the crisp application of the black iron oxide ledger mark show the intersection of ancient industrial molding and late 19th/early 20th-century European collection preservation.
Condition Report & Preservation Status:
This ancient ushabti is presented in a stellar, fully intact excavated condition, boasting a highly desirable complete profile from the crown of the head to the integrated trapezoidal base. The delicate nose, jawline, and crossed hands are exceptionally well-preserved, exhibiting none of the common ancient breaks or severe facial abrasions typically caused by tomb collapses. The green faience glaze remains beautifully visible across the chest and torso, partially masked by an authentic, uncleaned coating of micro-crystalline burial deposits and earthen calcification. The reverse side features the archival tracking number 11197 D meticulously painted in highly stable black ink, which remains completely crisp and legible against the pale-green fabric. Free of modern restorations, fills, or chemical cleanings, this statuette preserves its true archaeological integrity for open cabinet presentation.
Provenance:
This artifact has been sourced from a long-standing private collection in the state of New York. The presence of the hand-inked inventory mark 11197 D across the lower reverse represents a classic historical registrar method used by major late 19th and early 20th-century private collections, continental galleries, or academic institutions to organize imported antiquities. The suffix letter "D" commonly denotes a specific category or division within a ledger (such as Deities, Dolls, or Devotional objects). This permanent curatorial mark confirms that the piece was formally cataloged and held within a Western collection many decades prior to the implementation of modern cultural heritage blockades.
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