Lot details
Statuette en faïence, coiffée de la perruque tripartite, debout sur une base quadrangulaire, bras croisés, tenant les deux instruments aratoires. Neuf bandeaux d'inscriptions hiéroglyphiques gravées à l'avant du chapitre VI du Livre des Morts et indiquant le nom du défunt : Nefer-ib-ré-sa-neith, fils de la dame Chem-(en)-bastet.
Haut. : 18,5 cm
Bibliographie en rapport :
J.F. et L. Aubert, Statuettes Égyptiennes, Paris, 1974, pp.229-230
J.L. Chappaz, Les figurines funéraires égyptiennes du Musée d'Art et d'Histoire et de quelques collections privées, Genève, 1984, n°139
Saqqarah, sud de la pyramide d'Ouserkaf, tombe de Neferibesaneith, découverte en 1929
Dispersion par le Service des Antiquités, avant 1970
Ancienne collection particulière, Île-de-France
Collection particulière française, acquis en 2023
One of the finest examples of shabtis from 26th Dynasty, our statuette of great delicacy and elegance is one of 336 funerary servants found in 1929 by the English Egyptologist Cecil Mallaby Firth, in the tomb of a high official of the Saite court, Neferibresaneith, born of Chepenbastet (see E. Drioton and J.P. Lauer, "Les tombes jumelées de Neferibrê-Sa-Neith et Ouahibrê-Men," Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte, vol 51, 1951, pp. 469-490).
Born under Psamtek II, our high-ranking official name is basilophorous referring to this sovereign, but it was during the reign of Amasis, towards the middle of the 6th century, that he reached the peak of his career. It was at Saqqara, south of the pyramid of Userkaf, that he found his final resting place, where he was accompanied by his funeral servants, most of whom were assembled on the lid of the sarcophagus. "Many of these figurines, measuring between 17 and 18 cm, were dispersed by the Antiquities Department and ended up in public collections in Budapest, Florence, London and Stockholm, as well as in private collections" (Aubert, p.230). The dispersal of these funerary statuettes, prized by private collectors and public institutions for their refinement, was completed by 1970, the tomb having been mostly emptied by 1940.
Today, these oushebtis continue to fascinate collectors and several examples can be seen in museum collections, including the J. Paul Getty Museum, which acquired one of these servants in 2016 (2016.2), the Metropolitan Museum in New York (58.4.2) and the Museum of World Cultures in Stockholm (MME 1974:156).
