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Shabty of Meshshentayet

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
The Egyptians manufactured funerary figurines, originally called shabties, as early as Dynasty 12 (1932–1759 B.C.E.). The earliest shabties are inscribed with either the deceased’s name (see nos. 1 and 2) or a simple form of Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. The rarity and high quality of the early shabties suggest that they were costly items produced for privileged persons.

Later, Chapter 6 began appearing more frequently on funerary figurines. The text mentions that they do agricultural tasks for the dead person: irrigating the fields, cultivating crops, and clearing away sand that blew in from the nearby desert.

As substitutes for the deceased, these figurines were sometimes given their own sarcophagi (see no. 6). To emphasize the agricultural function of the figurines, hoes and grain baskets were added to them (no. 8).

Wood (nos. 9–11), stone (nos. 12–14, 16), faience (no. 17), metal, and other materials were used beginning in Dynasty 18. By the end of the New Kingdom, statuettes for a single person were often mold-made by the hundreds and even thousands. Faience became the medium of choice, first in blue and later in light green or light blue (nos. 17, 20, 21).
MEDIUM Faience
  • Possible Place Collected: Mendes (vicinity), Egypt
  • DATES 664–332 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 31
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 7 13/16 x 2 x depth of base 1 9/16 in. (19.8 x 5.1 x 4 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 05.401
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by April 1905, acquired by Claude Camille Rollin and Félix Bienaimé Feuardent of Paris, France; April 25, 1905, purchased from Claude Camille Rollin and Félix Bienaimé Feuardent by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    CAPTION Shabty of Meshshentayet, 664–332 B.C.E. Faience, 7 13/16 x 2 x depth of base 1 9/16 in. (19.8 x 5.1 x 4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.401. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.05.401_wwgA-3.jpg)
    IMAGE installation, West Wing gallery A-3 installation, CUR.05.401_wwgA-3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2005
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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