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Shabty of the Chief Steward Pedi-neit

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Shabties were included in tombs to perform agricultural work in place of the deceased in the afterlife. Many of them are inscribed with Chapter 6 of The Book of the Dead, which says they will dig irrigation ditches, cultivate crops, and carry sand. Others only bear the name and title of the owner. The earlier examples included here are inscribed in ink while in the later examples the text is part of the mold, which clearly saved labor. Shabties and scarabs, beetle-shaped amulets associated with rebirth and the sun god, are the most common Egyptian antiquities to survive to modern times.
MEDIUM Faience
  • Reportedly From: Thebes, Egypt
  • DATES 595–589 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 5 3/8 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (13.7 x 3.8 x 2.9 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.212E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Pale green faience mummiform ushabti of Padineith. He wears a non-striated tripartite wig. His hands are crossed and juxtaposed on his chest, the right holding a mattock and the left a pick. There is an incised bag behind left shoulder. There are eight lines of inscription on the front of the figure which continue with a single column of text on the back pillar. Condition: The condition of the piece is good. The glaze is for the most part faded. The figure is wholly intact.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Shabty of the Chief Steward Pedi-neit, 595–589 B.C.E. Faience, 5 3/8 x 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (13.7 x 3.8 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.212E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.212E_front_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE front, 37.212E_front_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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