This is the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of Sati, and the Brooklyn Museum has two ๐ป of them! The ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ dates to the New Kingdom Dynasty 18 (c. 1390-1352 B.C.E.).ย
Sati was not royal nor a high-ranking official so these ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช were clearly a royal gift just due to the craftsmanship that went into making it. Satiโs only title that appears on the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is โmistress of the house ๐๐๐๐บ.โ
This piece is unique because of the six different colors on the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – most were not this colorful. I really love the blue ๐ ๐๐ accents and extreme attention to detail on this piece. If you look closely, the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are painted so beautifully on to the body of the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ. These hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are the standard โShabti Spell,โ from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ. This spell ๐๐๐ gives the ushabti ๐ท๐๐๐ฎ๐พ the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐.
The โShabti Spellโ usually starts off with the following phrase:
๐ด๐๐๐ถ – The Illuminated One
๐น๐ฉ๐ญ – The Osiris
Then the โShabti Spellโ will usually list the deceasedโs ๐ ๐๐ฑ job/titles:
๐๐๐๐บ – Mistress of the House
This ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is made out of faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ and is mummiform in appearance, with the arms ๐๐ฆ crossed along the chest. In each hand ๐๐บ, the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is holding a hoe and a basket. This indicates that the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was meant to do some type of agricultural labor for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (as per the Shabti Spell)! The ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is also wearing a broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐.
