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Shabty of Nes-Montu

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 Egyptian alabaster
DATES ca. 1818–1772 B.C.E.
DYNASTY Dynasty 12
PERIOD Middle Kingdom
DIMENSIONS 6 7/16 x width 1 7/8 in. (16.3 x 4.7 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 34.997
CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
PROVENANCE Archaeological provenance not yet documented; by 1934, acquired by an unidentified Egyptian dealer; 1934, purchased in Egypt from an unidentified dealer by Jean Capart for the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CAPTION Shabty of Nes-Montu, ca. 1818–1772 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster, 6 7/16 x width 1 7/8 in. (16.3 x 4.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 34.997. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.34.997_erg2.jpg)
IMAGE overall, CUR.34.997_erg2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 5/27/2008
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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