Ushebti of Nes-pa-nefer-her. Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, c. 1070–945 B.C.

Ushebti of Nes-pa-nefer-her. Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, c. 1070–945 B.C.
Faience.
Condition: Very good condition.
Provenance: Private collection, France; acquired at Bonhams on October 21, 1999, lot 397. A copy of the purchase invoice is attached. Private collection, C. R., Cannes, France.
Inscription: “May Osiris, the priest of Amun-Ra, king of the gods, Nes-pa-nefer-her, the righteous of speech, be illuminated.”
A copy of the invoice is attached.
Measurements: 16 cm high.

Egyptian ushabti made of turquoise-blue faience, dating to the Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty. The figure exhibits the mummy-like form characteristic of these funerary sculptures, 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 inscription identifies the owner as Nes-pa-nefer-her, priest of Amun-Ra, “king of the gods,” and describes him as “righteous of voice,” a common formula in Egyptian funerary contexts that indicated the deceased’s status as an individual legitimized and vindicated before the court of the Afterlife. This mention is particularly significant, as it allows the piece to be linked to a specific individual and to the powerful Theban priestly circle associated with the cult of Amun during the Third Intermediate Period.

Ushebtis, also known as shabtis or shawabtis, were funerary figurines intended to accompany the deceased in the tomb and to take his place in any labor that might be required of him in the afterlife. Their function is expressed on numerous examples through formulas inspired by Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead, in which the figurine is magically activated to respond in place of its owner when he is called upon to perform tasks—especially agricultural ones—in the fields of Osiris.

During the 21st Dynasty, the production of ushabti figures reached a remarkable level of development, both in terms of their abundance and the symbolic quality of their materials and finishes. The bluish faience, with its glassy, lustrous surface, was closely linked to concepts of regeneration, fertility, and rebirth—fundamental to Egyptian funerary religion. In this example, the intense turquoise color and the black details on the wig, the face, and the inscription reinforce its ritual presence and magical function within the funerary grave goods.

The piece stands out for its size, its excellent state of preservation, and the preservation of the inscription, which adds historical value by allowing the identification of its owner. Its documented provenance—acquired at Bonhams in 1999 and subsequently part of a private French collection—along with the well-preserved craftsmanship, further enhances its appeal from both a collector’s and a documentary perspective.