Large Mummy Servant - Wooden Oushebti - 35cm Height - Egyptian Archaeology

An ushebti is a funerary figurine from ancient Egypt, usually made of clay, wood or stone. These figurines were placed in the tombs of the deceased and were intended to serve the deceased in the afterlife. The word "ushebti" literally means "the one who answers" in ancient Egyptian, referring to their function as assistants to the deceased in the afterlife. The ushebtis were often inscribed with a magic formula or invocations, asking them to perform agricultural work or other tasks for the deceased, so that the latter could rest in the afterlife. Their number in a tomb could vary, ranging from a few figurines to several hundred. The large size of this ushebti is not common. At 35cm in height, it is one of the large formats. Made of palm wood, the ushebti is polychrome. A red slip covers most of the body. The headdress and the kohl of the eyes are black. The cartouche on the chest is written in black on a beige background. It has not yet been translated. This mummiform ushabti has the particularity of not having been repainted in the modern period. It is supplied with its black metal base made to measure by Armand Bonnafond (BAM) 35cm high Ramesside period around 1200-1000 BCE Provenance: private collection in Tarn. Acquired in the 1970s by the former owner (collection number on the back).