Interiors & Decorations

Jewellery & Precious Stones

Watches, Pens & Lighters

Fashion

Coins & Stamps

Comics & Animation

Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia

Wine, Whisky & Spirits

Asian & Tribal Art

Trading Cards

Toys & Models

Archaeology & Natural History

Sports

Music, Movies & Cameras

Books & Historical Memorabilia

The finest objects brought to you by {name}

Ruth Garrido Vila

Ushebti.

Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, c. 1070 BC-650 BC.

Faience.

9.8 cm height.

Condition: Good condition. 

Provenance: Private collection, Heidelberg, Germany. Acquired before the 1970s.

Description: 

Ushabti were made from one original bi-valve mold. Once the two pieces were joined and the rough edges removed, and while the material was still moist, the details of the image were retouched and the columns were marked on which the hieroglyphs would be incised. This meant that each ushabti was unique, even though they had come from the same mold.

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.

The Egyptian Afterlife was understood as a mirror of the real world, where both good and evil had their place. Those who were unfair or evil were punished for eternity, while the just enjoyed a comfortable existence travelling with the solar god. Even then, the deceased who were so blessed were still obliged to fulfil human responsibilities and needs, in the same way they had to in life. Their need to have food and drink in the Afterlife was a constant worry for them. If they were obliged to work in the Fields of Aaru, in the Realm of the Dead, and as members of a society which was a hierarchy governed by the gods, everyone – men and women, lords and servants, kings and queens – had to be willing to cultivate, sow and harvest the crops.

In the world of the living these basic tasks of production were carried out by the lower classes in society. To avoid this fate, Egyptians looked for a magic solution: they created one or more figures of themselves to be able to hand over to the emissaries of the reigning god, Osiris, when these called on the deceased to fulfil his obligations. These statuettes, placed amongst the grave goods in the tomb, were images which represented both the master and the servant.

They are known by the name of ushabtis, the term coming from sabty or shabty, derived from Sawab, the meaning of which corresponds to the Greek word “persea”, a sacred tree from whose wood the ancient Egyptians began to produce these funerary effigies. It was towards the Third Intermediate Period, in Dynasty XXI, around 1080 BC when they began to use the term wsbty, that is, “ushebty”. From then on the name “ushabti” derived from the verb wsb meaning “to answer” was used to name “he who answers”.

The use of ushabtis was incorporated into the burials in Ancient Egypt from the First Intermediate Period on. Their use grew during the Middle Kingdom, the time when the Egyptians began to write a spell in the Coffin Texts, number 472, so that the ushabtis would answer to the call: “The justified N. says ‘Oh ushabti, allotted to N, if N is summoned to do any work, or if a disagreeable task was asked of N as for any man for his duty, you are to say ‘I am here’. If N is called to watch over those who work there, ploughing the new fields to break the earth, or to ferry sand in a boat from east to west, you will say ‘I am here’. The justified N.”

This spell or utterance went on to be inscribed on ushabtis, and so in most cases, it appears there engraved. From the New Kingdom on, a great number of innovations were introduced. Examples with texts started to proliferate. Some of these were somewhat longer texts from Chapter VI in the Book of the Dead. Even so, in many cases the text simply indicates the name of the deceased, or a basic utterance, with the name of a family member or the posts that he held.

Ushabtis at first were made above all from wax, later from wood, and then towards the end of the Middle Kingdom they appeared in stone. From the New Kingdom on, the material par excellence was faience. We know they were produced in multiples thanks to moulds which have been preserved, and where in some cases, the engraved texts were unfinished, as the name of the owner was missing. The most popular form was that of the mummy until the introduction, towards the end of Dynasty XVIII, of figures decorated with everyday clothing. Many carried implements to work in the fields, such as a basket, a hoe or a pick, as a reference to the task to be carried out which was awaiting them in the Afterlife, as the symbolic representation of their master. The iconography, texts, materials, colours and their placing in the tomb could suggest other symbolic meanings.

Sometimes they were placed in wooden boxes, which could be either simple ones or with sophisticated decoration. In the New Kingdom they came to be placed in miniature sarcophagi.
While at first they were considered to be replicas of the deceased, in the New Kingdom and later, the ushabtis came to be seen as servants or a manner of slave, and for this reason they were produced en masse. There were both women and men, including specialists in different activities. Sometimes they were under the supervision of overseers, and these were distinguished by the use of a kilt. This is the case for the pharaoh Tutankhamun: he had three hundred and sixty five ushabtis at his command, one for each day of the year; thirty six overseers, one for each team of ten workers; and twelve master overseers, one for each month of the year. This came to a total of four hundred and thirteen servants in the Otherworld. The fear of having to carry out these tasks demanded of the dead by Osiris meant that in some burials there were even ushabtis who were there to act as substitutes or stand-ins, if necessary, for the main ones.

It is logical to think that no pharaoh would have wanted to carry out this type of task personally, and so at the necessary moment the utterance written on the body of the ushabti was read out so that this object acquired life to answer to the call, substituting for the pharaoh in the work.





Notes:

- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.


Third Intermediate Period, c. 1070 BC-650 BC. - Unknown

Ancient Egyptian Faience Ushebti. Third Intermediate Period, c. 1070 BC-650 BC. 9.8 cm height.

Fossils

Closing date

Saturday

Friday

Sunday

tomorrow

Thursday

Budget

From

Dimensions

Height

Width

Depth

feeds_recommendations

feeds_popularity

We couldn’t verify your address. 
Re-enter address.

We couldn’t verify your address. Review our suggested address.

We couldn’t verify your address: Re-enter address to ensure smooth delivery.

Address reformatted to ensure smooth delivery. Take a moment to review it.

Confirm your address

Generated for your convenience. Always carefully review object description, details, and images before placing a bid.

Never miss an update on the latest auctions. Don’t have an account? Create one for free.

Sign in to follow category

Don’t miss out on any of the auctions

This auction is part of %{category}

The full amount of your automatic bid has now been reached. Entering a new maximum amount will help you stay ahead of new bids from others.

Buy and sell on Europe’s most-visited online curated marketplace. Weekly auctions of 75,000 special and hard-to-find objects selected by experts.

Start bidding or selling at Catawiki’s %{auction_name}. This week at auction: %{lot_name}.

You've been outbid on lot:  %{position}. %{title}

%{amount_in_bidding_currency} will be reserved on your selected credit card. This amount will be released within a week if you're not the top bidder. If you do place the top bid, the remaining amount needs to be paid within 3 days of the auction ending. If it's not paid, the auction fees will be charged to your card (up to %{limit_in_bidding_currency}).

Someone set a max bid before you. New top bid: %{amount}

Want it faster? Buy now to get it delivered sooner!

Others might want to buy this object now. Make it yours before they get to it first!

Your bid is on top and so close to the buy now price!

Try raising your bid or buy it now.

Try raising your bid or buy it now. Bids are close to the reserve price, so this could be your last chance to purchase.

Unfortunately, your bid didn’t meet the object’s reserve price.

Couldn't process your payment

Your payment is safe


All objects are quality checked


All sellers are verified

This is your last chance to make this special object yours.

Reject this offer?

Exclusive offer

Great offer

Your payment is safe


All objects are quality checked


Catawiki Buyer Protection

%{category_name} for Sale in Online Auctions

Buy and sell %{category} at Catawiki. Discover %{category} auctions filled with special objects, selected by our experts.

How to buy on Catawiki

Set a search alert to get notified when new matches are available.

Set a search alert

These cookies placed by Catawiki and partners help us gain insight into the use of our marketplace and how to keep improving it.

Analytics & research

These cookies are necessary for performance of our marketplace and are therefore set to 'always active'. This includes cookies to e.g. allow you to sign in and remember language settings. These cookies also include analytical cookies that have very little to no impact on your privacy.

Functional

These cookies placed by Catawiki and partners help us gain insight into what you like and how you behave on our marketplace. We track your behaviour so we can get an idea about your preferences, store the IDs of the auctions you click on, and show you lots that match your interests. Third parties also place marketing cookies on Catawiki, including cookies to allow social media functionality.

Marketing & social media

Andorra

United Arab Emirates

Afghanistan

Antigua and Barbuda

Albania

Armenia

Netherlands Antilles

Angola

Argentina

American Samoa

Austria

Australia

Aruba

Azerbaijan

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Barbados

Bangladesh

Belgium

Burkina Faso

Bulgaria

Bahrain

Burundi

Benin

Bermuda

Brunei Darussalam

Bolivia

Brazil

Bahamas, The

Bhutan

Botswana

Belarus

Belize

Canada

Congo, Dem. Rep.

Central African Republic

Congo, Rep.

Switzerland

Côte d'Ivoire

Chile

Cameroon

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Cape Verde

Curaçao

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Germany

Djibouti

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Algeria

Ecuador

Estonia

Egypt, Arab Rep.

Eritrea

Spain

Ethiopia

Finland

Fiji

Micronesia, Fed. Sts.

Faeroe Islands

France

Gabon

United Kingdom

Grenada

Georgia

French Guiana

Guernsey

Ghana

Gibraltar

Greenland

Gambia, The

Guinea

Guadeloupe

Equatorial Guinea

Greece

Guatemala

Guam

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Hong Kong

Honduras

Croatia

Haiti

Hungary

Canary Islands

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Isle of Man

India

Iraq

Iran, Islamic Rep.

Iceland

Italy

Jamaica

Jordan

Japan

Kenya

Kyrgyz Republic

Cambodia

Kiribati

Comoros

St. Kitts and Nevis

North Korea

South Korea

Kuwait

Cayman Islands

Kazakhstan

Lao PDR

Lebanon

St. Lucia

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Liberia

Lesotho

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Latvia

Customs information

Personalised picks to help you find your next treasure. Updated daily.

After confirming, both Catawiki and the seller will be notified that the order has been delivered. You can always look at your tracking information under 'My Orders'.

Has your order been delivered?

Every day our %{count}+ in-house experts review and select only the best submitted objects to auction. Each of our experts has years of experience and knowledge in their field. 

Experts at Catawiki - Learn what our experts do and how they can help you 

Get to know %{name}, Catawiki expert in %{category}

Don’t miss out - follow to get notified when new objects are added. 

Follow %{title}

Unique Objects

Occasionally, two different bidders may show up in the bidding history with the same bid amount. This occurs when one user's bid is exactly the same as an automatic (maximum) bid placed by another user earlier. Since the auto-bid was placed first, this takes preference. The bidding history will show both bids, with the auto-bid ranked as the higher of the two.


Double bid

It may appear that the same bid has been placed by two different bidders. This can occur if someone places a bid in another currency which is then rounded to the same amount as the previous bid in %{local_currency}.

This can occur for the following reasons:
1. If an opening bid does not meet a lot’s reserve price (hidden minimum), buyers may try outbidding their earlier bid in order to find that lot’s RP.
2. If an auto-bid (user-set maximum bid) is outbid, the bidding log will show the first and final steps of that user's auto-bid in a row. The new highest bid will be shown at the top.

Why is this bidder outbidding him- or herself?

Bids exclude the auction fee and shipping costs, which will be added during final payment. Any other costs or charges such as customs or import duties, customs clearance and handling may also apply during shipment of your lot and will be charged to you at a later stage if applicable. All bids are binding.

Bids exclude the Buyer Protection fee and shipping costs, which will be added during final payment. Any other costs or charges such as customs or import duties, customs clearance and handling may also apply during shipment of your lot and will be charged to you at a later stage if applicable. All bids are binding.

Once a bid has been placed, it becomes binding. You are required to purchase any lot you win for the amount you've bid. By placing a bid, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

Catawiki is available in GBP, USD and EUR. Prices in these currencies are converted using the currency exchange rate applicable at the start of the auction. This rate is also applied to commission rates and shipping costs.

What are the auction costs?

Are all bids binding?

Currency exchange rate

Some valuable lots come with an estimated revenue, indicated by the expert. The estimated price range mentioned serves only as an indication, and offers no guarantees as to a lot's actual value.

Shipping to your location (%{buyer_country}) from %{seller_country} usually takes %{from_days}-%{to_days} days.

Shipping to your location (%{buyer_city}, %{buyer_country}) from %{seller_country} usually takes %{from_days}-%{to_days} days.

%{price} from %{sellerCountry}, arrives in %{time} days

Shipping from %{sellerCountry} to %{buyerCountry} usually takes %{time} days.

Your payment is secure: we only release it to the seller when you’re satisfied with your object.

FREE from %{sellerCountry}, arrives in %{time} days

This object has free shipping! Shipping from %{sellerCountry} to %{buyerCountry} usually takes %{time} days

Unfortunately, this object can’t be shipped to your location. Possible reasons include that this object may have import restrictions or the seller doesn’t ship to your region.

This object can be picked up for free from %{city}, %{country}.

After you pay, you’ll receive the exact pickup address. You’ll then be able to contact the seller to arrange pickup.

Sign in or create an account to view shipping info based on your region. 

Due to the size or fragility of this lot, the seller requires it to be picked up from %{city} (%{country}).

Name

Did you contact the seller?

For items without a reserve price, you can bid from €1. For items with a reserve price, bidding will start at either the reserve price, 60% of the reserve price or €1.

Give it a try and be the first to bid on this special item!

Starting bid

You'll be redirected to the PayPal site to complete your payment.


By creating an account, you can save, bid on, and buy objects you love. 

Return policy

Saved searches 

Every week, there are %{counter} new objects to explore. Save this search to receive new matches for “%{search_term}”.

Discover %{total} %{query} objects, selected by experts. Buy and sell %{query} in Catawiki’s auctions. Explore and place your bids!

View the objects offered for auction by %{seller}. Register today to join %{seller} and other sellers on Catawiki!

For non-mainland destinations including islands and overseas territories, additional charges may apply but will not exceed the Rest of the World shipping cost.

Any other costs or charges such as customs or import duties, customs clearance and handling may also apply during the shipment of your lot and will be charged to you by the involved party at a later stage if applicable.

Once you make your payment, the seller is required to ship your order within 3 working days.

View my lots at the Catawiki auctions for this week

When you search for an object, results are sorted to ensure the most value for you. When you search for an object, we default sort by ‘relevance.’ Within auctions, objects are sorted by ‘time remaining.’ 

This auction might contain images that are not suitable for viewing by persons under 16 years of age.

Warning: Explicit content

Unfortunately, all the auctions in this category have now ended

Related collections