Ushebti. Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1069–945 B.C.

Ushebti. Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1069–945 B.C.
Faience.
Condition: Intact.
Provenance: Acquired from P. E. Becker on August 6, 1998. Private collection, France.
Certifications: A report on the age of the piece, issued by a Spanish Egyptologist, is attached.
Measurements: 11.2 cm high; 13.2 cm with base.

Egyptian ushabti made of turquoise-blue faience, with details painted in black. The figure is depicted in mummy form, following the characteristic iconography of this type of funerary sculpture, with the body wrapped in a tight shroud and the arms crossed over the chest. The face, with simplified features and a hieratic expression, is framed by a tripartite wig painted black, while a vertical hieroglyphic inscription, also rendered in dark pigment, is placed on the front of the body.

The piece exhibits the characteristics typical of ushabti from the Third Intermediate Period, a time when the use of bluish or greenish faience for this type of figure became widespread. The vitreous surface, with its intense turquoise color, symbolically evokes concepts of regeneration, fertility, and rebirth—fundamental to Egyptian funerary thought. The hallmarks of the body’s brilliant blue and the black details of the wig, the facial features, and the inscription reinforce the figure’s visual presence, endowing it with a marked ritual expressiveness.

Ushebtis, also known as shabtis or shawabtis depending on the period and context, were funerary figures intended to accompany the deceased in the tomb. Their function was to replace the owner in any tasks that might be required of him in the Afterlife, especially agricultural work associated with the field of Osiris. For this reason, many examples include inscribed formulas from Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead, through which the figurine was magically activated to respond in place of the deceased when called upon.

During the 21st Dynasty, as part of the Third Intermediate Period, the production of ushabti figurines reached a remarkable level of development, both in terms of their abundance and the variety of qualities and finishes. In this case, the piece stands out for its excellent state of preservation, the vibrancy of the faience, and the clarity of its iconographic elements, with the mummy-like silhouette fully intact and much of the painted decoration preserved. The presence of a frontal inscription, though executed in a schematic style, reinforces its funerary nature and links it directly to Egyptian beliefs regarding the afterlife.