Ancient Egyptian Faience Shabti of Nesankhefmaat

About the work

Egyptian Faience Shabti of Nesankhefmaat

Third Intermediate Period, ca. 1069–664 BC

A finely preserved ancient Egyptian blue-green faience shabti of Nesankhefmaat, dating to the Third Intermediate Period. The mummiform figure wears a tripartite wig and beard, with crossed hands holding agricultural implements. A vertical column of hieroglyphic inscription identifies the owner and reads, according to the accompanying documentation, “The Osiris, God’s servant of Amun, Nesankhefmaat.”

Shabtis were funerary figures placed within Egyptian tombs to serve the deceased in the afterlife, particularly by undertaking agricultural labor required of their owner. By the Third Intermediate Period, large groups of these figures could accompany a burial, reflecting the continued importance of this long-standing Egyptian funerary tradition. 5” in height (12.5 cm)

This example is particularly notable for its documented provenance. It was formerly in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, bearing inventory number RES.22.18, and is accompanied by documentation from Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, New York.

Provenance:
Formerly Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inventory no. RES.22.18; Ex. Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, New York;
Ex. Matt Lord, Alabama.

Published & Comparative Examples

Cf. an ushabti made for the same individual, Nes-ankh-ef-(en)-maat, in the collection of the British Museum, London, inventory no. EA32717. That example was found at Abydos and was donated by the Egyptian Exploration Fund in 1900.

The present type is also documented in Glenn Janes, Databases for Shabtis of the Third Intermediate Period (Version 1.3, 2025), under Nes-ankh-ef-(en)-maat, identified as a “God’s Servant of Amen,” 21st Dynasty, from Abydos, Cemetery D, Tomb 11. The Janes database illustrates multiple known shabtis belonging to Nes-ankh-ef-(en)-maat, providing important comparative examples for the present figure.