Upper part of shabti figure
Polychrome stone statuette resembling shabti originates from New Kingdom, precisely 18th Dynasty. Figure of unknown owner is not complete, however only the upper part is preserved (head, neck, shoulders and part of chest) and dyed with bright colour. From preserved part, we can conclude that this figure belonged to a young man. His head is covered with black scarf thrown over his frontal bone to highlight his ears, and two luxuriant locks of curly hair are decorated at the end with thick green ribbon. Moreover, neck and shoulders are decorated with wesekh, necklace that was worn in Ancient Egypt by elite. Meanwhile, pharaohs would give this kind of jewellery to their loyal subjects so it is not exclusive that this may be figure of a person of lower social class.
The complete figure was probably shaped to look like mummy in order to replace deceased in his service in the world of the dead, meaning it would serve as a magical replacement when the deceased would be called to do physical work in the underground world. Unfortunately, hands in which shabti figures normally carry agricultural tools and small grain baskets are not preserved so it is unclear if this object is indeed shabti or figure of some Egyptian.
The complete figure was probably shaped to look like mummy in order to replace deceased in his service in the world of the dead, meaning it would serve as a magical replacement when the deceased would be called to do physical work in the underground world. Unfortunately, hands in which shabti figures normally carry agricultural tools and small grain baskets are not preserved so it is unclear if this object is indeed shabti or figure of some Egyptian.
Catalogue entry
Upper part of shabti figure
Museum Mimara, Zagreb
Collection of the Ancient Civilizations
inv. no. ATM 232
Egypt, unknown site
New Kingdom (c. 1539-1069 B.C.)
18th Dynasty (c. 1539-1295 B.C.)
limestone; stone carving, polychrome
24 x 20 cm
Resources
- Čukman Nikolić, Ivana; Tomorad, Mladen. „Artefacts from Ancient Near East and Egypt in the Collection of Archaeology of the Mimara Museum in Zagreb, Croatia“. U: Tomorad, Mladen (ur.). Research of the history and culture of the Ancient Near East in the Southeast Europe: 1. Croatia - Selected problems. Saarbrücken, 2014: 85-126. 89, 103, fig. 8.
- Čukman Nikolić, Ivana; Tomorad, Mladen. „The Collection of Egyptian Artifacts in the Mimara Museum in Zagreb (Croatia)“. U: Tomorad, Mladen (ur.). A History of Research into Ancient Egyptian Culture conducted in Southeast Europe. Oxford, 2015: 59-74. 61, 63, fig. 55.
- Tomorad, Mladen. "Ancient Egyptian Funerary Statuettes in Croatian Collections". Opuscula archaeologica 36 (2012): 275-282. 277.
- Tomorad, Mladen. "Shabtis from the Museum and Private Collections in Croatia: Dating and Typological Study". U: Tomorad, Mladen; Popielska-Grzybowska, Joanna (ur.). Egypt 2015: Perspectives of Research - Proceedings of the Seventh European Conference of Egyptologists (2nd-7th June 2015, Zagreb, Croatia). Oxford, 2017: 219-240. 220-221, 224.
- Tomorad, Mladen. „The Egyptian antiquities in Croatia“. PalArch 2, 1 (2005): 1-33. 12.
- Tomorad, Mladen. Egipat u Hrvatskoj: egipatske starine u hrvatskoj znanosti i kulturi. Zagreb, 2003. 64, fn. 391, 66, fig. 62.
- Tomorad, Mladen. Model računalne obrade i prezentacije staroegipatskih predmeta u muzejskim zbirkama u Hrvatskoj. [Doktorska disertacije, Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu Sveučilišta u Zagrebu]. Zagreb, 2006. 17, 217.
- Tomorad, Mladen. Staroegipatska civilizacija, sv. II: Uvod u egiptološke studije. Zagreb, 2017. 65.
