Attention: due to customs regulations we can only ship inside the European Union. Please ensure you have a valid EU shipping address before placing a bid. Ancient Egyptian turquoise glazed faience "Ushabti" figure depicted in standard mummiform pose with arms crossed, holding crook and flail. -> The term "Ushabti" translates as "Answerer" as many of these miniature servant figures were placed by mourners into tombs in the belief that they would magically animate and undertake the every day chores for the deceased in the after-life. Height: ± 83,8 mm Condition: intact and in good condition. Minor encrustations of sand and iron oxide. Signs of wear consistent with an ancient artefact. Certificate of Authenticity: available upon request (pdf-format). -> Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of Ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the pick and hoes clutched in the hands, as well as the seed bag slung over his shoulder, recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti literally means “the answerer.” The function of these little figures is described in Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead: “O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labour in the hereafter, say thou: I am here.” The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a given tomb; but by the New Kingdom, the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute, and many might be found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal, and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period (the time just before this work was produced), a green faience, the colour of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. Along the body of this ushabti is inscribed ten rows of hieroglyphic text. Such inscriptions generally offer prayers from the deceased and reveal the ushabti’s readiness to perform labour. To look upon this ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself.