Shabti thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Shabti

380 BC - 343 BC
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

By the Third Intermediate Period, the fullest shabti sets contained 365 figures, one for each day of the year. 36 of these were 'overseer' shabti; each controlled a group of ten, and was responsible for overseeing the work performed by the shabtis in the afterlife. Unlike typical shabtis, overseers were depicted in a kilt, reflecting dress worn in daily life.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Glazed composition
Brief description
Shabti , blue-green glazed composition, Abydos, Egypt, Late Period, Dynasty Thirty
Physical description
Blue-green glazed composition 'overseer' shabti, with moulded details. The figure wears a bipartite wig and short kilt, with one arm by its side and the other raised holding a whip.

Dimensions
  • Height: 5cm
  • Width: 1.5cm
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
Transliteration
.
Gallery label
Figure , Moulded blue glazed composition Egypt, XXXth Dynasty Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund (768 &A to E-1902) Found in a tomb (cemetary G) at Abydos during 1901-02 excavations .(18/06/2009)
Credit line
Given by the Egypt Exploration Fund
Object history
Found at Abydos (possibly tomb G50), 1901-2 excavation season.
Summary
By the Third Intermediate Period, the fullest shabti sets contained 365 figures, one for each day of the year. 36 of these were 'overseer' shabti; each controlled a group of ten, and was responsible for overseeing the work performed by the shabtis in the afterlife. Unlike typical shabtis, overseers were depicted in a kilt, reflecting dress worn in daily life.
Bibliographic reference
W.M.F. Petrie, Abydos I (London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1902): 37-9
Collection
Accession number
768C-1902

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Record createdJune 18, 2009
Record URL
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