Ushabti (Tomb Servant)
Date936 - 716 BCE
PeriodThird Intermediate Period, 22nd dynasty
Place MadeEgypt, Africa
MediumFaience
Dimensions13 x 4 x 4 cm (5 1/8 x 1 9/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Drs. John and Bessie Sawhill
Object number76.1.358
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextFunerary figures such as this, called ushabti, were believed to act as servants for the deceased in the afterlife. This figure, carrying both digging hoes and a satchel, would have represented a servant who performed farming duties. The inscription on the front of the object was a spell which would have been activated when the gods called upon its owner to cross the threshold from the living to the dead. The material of this sculpture is known as Egyptian faience, a type of self-glazing ceramic comprised of quartz sand and bound with natron, a salt found in dried lake beds. During the firing process, the copper within the quartz caused the glaze to turn bright blue. The Ancient Egyptians named this process tjehnet, or “dazzling.”
Ushabti – ‘one who answers’ – are tomb servants intended to do the labor of the deceased in the ancient Egyptian afterlife. Tombs have at least 365 ushabti, to ensure a new servant each day of the year. Wealthy tombs also included overseer ushabti to ensure work was carried out.
In this display, we have included various ushabti: some are carved from cheap limestone or wood and painted to resemble the mummified deceased, while others were made in brilliant turquoise faience (glazed ceramic). Although made of common materials, faience was a high-status material. On account of its brilliant surface, it was considered magical, glimmering with the brilliance of eternity, filled with the undying shimmer of the sun and imbued with the powers of rebirth.
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