Bidspirit auction | COLLECTION OF EGYPTIAN FAIENCE USHABTIS

COLLECTION OF EGYPTIAN FAIENCE USHABTIS - Third Intermadiate Period to the Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 1069 - 30 BC. A collection of five faience ushabtis, each moulded in a simplified mummiform shape and covered in a blue glaze. All figures exhibit lightly defined facial features, and a tripartite wig. Arms are crossed over the chest, holding a pick and hoe - agricultural tools symbolising the ushabtis’ role in performing manual labour in the afterlife on behalf of the deceased. Bodies are columnar and taper towards a small base. The reverse sides are plain and flat.For similar see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Object Number: 74.51.4495.Size: 55-65mm x 15-20mm; Weight: 50gProvenance: From the collection of a London gentleman; formerly acquired in early 2000s; previously in 1970s UK collection. Reviewed by Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy, member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition.