Shabti figures were placed with ancient Egyptian burials to act as servants in the afterlife, to undertake menial tasks and produce food for the deceased. The hieroglyphics on this shabti, from Memphis, are an extract from the Book of the Dead. This ushabti figurine is depicted as a worker holding two hoes for work in the fields of Osiris in the afterlife. He is wearing a tripartite wig which falls down between the shoulders. He has an Osiris-type beard which ends in a tight forward curl. Only the hands, crossed over the chest and holding the already-mentioned agricultural implements, emerge from the mummiform shroud covering the entire body. The material used for the creation of this ushabti is faience, composed of fine sand cemented with sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate extracted from natron. Fired at 950 degrees C, the mixture gives an enamel-like finish with the carbonates forming a vitreous surface. It was a simple procedure and therefore not costly. The green and blue tones were achieved by the addition of a few grams of copper oxide extracted from malachite or azurite. The red tones were achieved with iron oxide, the intense blues with cobalt, the black by mixing iron oxide and magnesium oxide with water. All that was needed was to paint the chosen details in the selected colour with a brush before the firing. Provenance: Previous ownership history: Privat Collection U. Scholten Netherlands collected before 1980. I have acquired object in 1998 in Luxemburg from Théo Chiny. Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to ship this lot. The seller will take care that any necessary permits will be arranged. The authenticity of the item is unconditionally guaranteed. Send by DHL The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece in a legal manner. Documentation proving this provenance has been seen by Catawiki.