Glazed Faience, 15.24 grams; 61.44 mm. Circa. 304-30 B.C. A Shabti figure, the servant of the deceased in the funerary procession. It is shown standing wearing a tri partite wig, and holding a pick and hoe, on the reverse is a hieroglyphic inscription. Very Fine condition.

Shabtis (also known as: ushabti, shawabti) are Egyptian funerary statues that were meant to serve as workers in the afterlife. Shabtis were mummiform in shape and sometimes inscribed with a chapter of the Book of the Dead. Many materials were used in the production of shabtis such as: wax, wood, terracotta, clay, alabaster, bronze and the most common material, faience (a vitreous material called "glazed composition"). The faience varied in color, utilizing elements such as iron, for red, cobalt for blue, copper for green - all being alkaline glazes in nature. Shabtis were included with burials starting in the Middle Kingdom (2050-1991 B.C.) right up until the Ptolemaic period (304-30 B.C.).