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Ushabti-Figure of Irtu

Egyptian (Artist)
ca. 1388-1348 BCE (New Kingdom)
ebony with black pigment
(Ancient Egypt and Nubia )

An ebony ushabti was produced for Irtu, a Royal Scribe and Overseer of the Horses of the Lord of the Two Lands. The eyes and eyebrows accented in black pigment. The body is enveloped in a mummiform garment and a tripartite wig. The arms are visible in outline only from the shoulder to the elbow. There are 14 horizontal lines of text across the form of the figure, including the name and titles of the man and an excerpt from Chapter 6 of "The Book of the Dead." There is a small hole in the top of the foot. The back is subtly modeled but is void of detail.

Inscription

[Translation] The Illuminated One, The Royal Scribe, The Overseer of the Horses of the Lord of Two Lands, He says: O' these shabtis who are numerous, if this one is assembled to any work in the Necropolis, to cultivate the fields, to irrigate the riverbanks, to ferry sand of the east to the west, or any unpleasant task that is imposed upon him there, as a man at his duties. "I am here," shall you say, The Royal Scribe, Keeper of the Horses [for the Lord of the Two Lands, Irtu]

Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.

Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1912, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

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Geographies

Egypt (Place of Origin)

Measurements

8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)

Credit Line

Acquired by Henry Walters, 1912

Location in Museum

Centre Street: Second Floor: Egyptian Art

Accession Number

In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.

22.180

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