Wooden Mummiform Ushabti - Main Figure - Very Large Size - 22nd Dynasty - Egypt

Wooden mummiform ushabti – Very large size – 22nd Dynasty – Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 22nd Dynasty (c. 943–716 BC) Carved wood, without inscription or polychromy preserved Height: 47 cm Description This funerary statuette represents an ushabti, a mummiform figure intended to accompany the deceased in the afterlife and to carry out in his place the agricultural chores imposed by Osiris. Carved entirely from monoxyl wood, the object presents a slender, sheathed silhouette, without arms or visible attributes. The round, very eroded face is framed by a tripartite wig, common in funerary statuary, and adorned with a short false beard, a mark of assimilation to the Osirian divine sphere. No hieroglyphic inscription is preserved, and neither agricultural tools nor a backpack are visible, elements generally present on examples from this period. The surface condition, which is very altered, does not allow us to confirm the original presence of stucco or polychromy. At 47 centimeters high, this piece is distinguished by its exceptional size, much larger than that of standard shabti (usually between 10 and 20 cm). It could have played the role of the main shabti, placed in isolation in the tomb, or else represent a "team leader" figure, a function attested from the end of the New Kingdom and during the Third Intermediate Period. Stylistic analysis and dating The formal sobriety, the absence of inscriptions and the schematic treatment of the sculpture refer to a provincial or secondary production, far removed from the Theban or Memphite workshops. The style of the face and the general configuration of the statuette allow a dating to the XXII Dynasty (943–716 BC), at the heart of the Third Intermediate Period, a period marked by a significant diffusion of the funerary cult and a standardization of the associated furniture. The persistence of models from the New Kingdom, combined with a more summary execution and a reduction in costs, illustrates well the funerary practices of this period of political fragmentation but great religious vitality. Interpretation This ushabti embodies one of the multiple faces of Egyptian funerary ideology: both a substitute for the deceased and a guarantor of the continuity of their existence in the afterlife. It testifies to the regional adaptations of official models, as well as to the progressive democratization of funerary rites, for the benefit of broader social categories. Its exceptional size suggests a particular ritual or statutory function, perhaps linked to the rank of the owner or to a desire for a unique symbolic representation. Provenance: Former private collection in Marseille. Acquired before the 1970s. C. Collection until the present day.