Blue Faience Ushabti of Seti I

This beautiful 𓄤 blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼  ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 belongs to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Seti I 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓌻𓇌𓁣𓈖! I have seen ones like this in other museums too! I love seeing the “same” pieces in museums around the world! 

Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 had many faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures. His faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures are such a beautiful 𓄤 blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸𓏥 color and are inscribed with hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. 

Chapter 6 is also known as the “Shabti Text,” and it is a spell 𓎛𓂓𓏛 that allows for the ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 to take the place of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 if the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 is asked to do any type of work in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.  This is why the ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 is holding a pick (𓌸) in each hand – he needs to be ready to work when called upon! 

Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Seti I 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓌻𓇌𓁣𓈖 had over 700 ushabti 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 figures! The typical number was around four hundred – 365 worker ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪, and the rest were overseer ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪. Most of Seti I’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓌻𓇌𓁣𓈖 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 were wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 – when Giovanni Belzoni discovered Seti I’s tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 in the Valley of the Kings in 1917, he used a lot of the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis 𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 as torches, so many of them were destroyed. 

Not going to lie; fact still haunts me!! This was also one of my Nonno’s favorite stories to tell. I can still hear him in my head saying “Can you believe that idiot used ushabtis as firewood?!?!”