Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Hyksos Medium: Steatite The sacred beetle of ancient Egypt, the scarab is an emblem of  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Hyksos Medium: Steatite The sacred beetle of ancient Egypt, the scarab is an emblem of the creator, Khepera. The word kepher denotes Being, Existence, Creation, or Becoming, and the god Kephera is the self-existent maker of all things. The worship of the scarab, which is symbolic of resurrection and fertility, dates from the earliest period of civilization in Egypt. Carved scarabs served two major functions: as amulets with protective and religious powers, and as personal seals, which designated the property and authority of the individual whose name was placed upon them. In both cases, the power ascribed to the scarab was very great—in life they served as the signature of their owner and were thought to bring prosperity, and in the afterlife they ensured rebirth through eternity. - (LK.202)   « Less

Scarab of the 12th Dynasty - CK.0584 Origin: Egypt Circa: 1100 BC to 700 BC Dimensions: .25" (0.6cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide x .625" (1.6cm) depth Collection: Egyptian

Scarab of the 12th Dynasty - CK.0584 Origin: Egypt Circa: 1100 BC to 700 BC Dimensions: .25" (0.6cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide x .625" (1.6cm) depth Collection: Egyptian   « Less

Stone Scaraboid Seal - CK.0674 Origin: Eastern Mediterranean Circa: 900 BC to 700 BC Dimensions: .25" (0.6cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide x .5" (1.3cm) depth Collection:  More »

Stone Scaraboid Seal - CK.0674 Origin: Eastern Mediterranean Circa: 900 BC to 700 BC Dimensions: .25" (0.6cm) high x .375" (1.0cm) wide x .5" (1.3cm) depth Collection: Egpytian Style: Egyptian or Phoenician Medium: Stone   « Less

Turquoise Scaraboid - CK.0675 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: .125" (0.3cm) high x .25" (0.6cm) wide x .375" (1.0cm) depth Collection: Egpytian Style:  More »

Turquoise Scaraboid - CK.0675 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: .125" (0.3cm) high x .25" (0.6cm) wide x .375" (1.0cm) depth Collection: Egpytian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Stone   « Less

Origin: Sakhara, Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.25" (15.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The figure is inscribed  More »

Origin: Sakhara, Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 6.25" (15.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience The figure is inscribed with a text of eight lines which translates as follows: 1) Illumine Osiris--Har, child of Hathor in the necropolis, when he says: O; 2) Ushabti, this O Osiris--Har, child of Hathor in the necropolis; do the work that is to be done; 3) there in the necropolis. Then you will smite there, as a man about his affairs; 4) Behold me, say you, when one counts; 5) at any time, to act there in the necropolis; 6) to cause to grow the fields, to cause to fill the channels; 7) to carry sand from the east; 8) to the west. Behold me, say you. - (PF.0479)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.625" (14.3cm) high x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Ushabti can  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5.625" (14.3cm) high x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Ushabti can be translated as “the answerer,” a term directly related to its function in the afterlife. Initially, only one ushabti was interred with the deceased. When the call came for the departed soul to “work,” the ushabti would take its place acting as a surrogate and leaving the soul in peace. Later, in the New Kingdom, hundreds of ushabti were part of the funerary accouterments and served as slaves, much as their human counterparts did in the real world. The number of figures depended on the individual's wealth. Ready for hard work, this elegant ushabti holds two hoes, one in each hand. Embodied in its form is the essence of ancient Egypt, combining the sacred element in the divine mummy shape, and the rural aspect of labor in the fields. Blue and green faience were the most prized and valuable, considered worthy even for kings. The lovely green of the stone reminds us of the verdant fields watered by the Nile, flowing eternally, as does the life force that nourishes all living things. Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife. The two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer." The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in any given tomb. But by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased, rather than as a substitute. Many have been found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.1130)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 7.5" (19.1cm) high x 2.25" (5.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife. The two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer." The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in any given tomb. But by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased, rather than as a substitute. Many have been found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.1145)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.625" (4.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.625" (4.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of Ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife. The two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer." The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in any given tomb. But by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased, rather than as a substitute. Many have been found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.1146)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 580 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.375" (3.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience With a flowing  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 580 BC Dimensions: 5" (12.7cm) high x 1.375" (3.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience With a flowing striated headdress and rectangular beard, the ushabti is made in the form of a mummy. Its legs are a single unit, the arms vertical with the hands exposed appearing as if crossed. The effect is as if the figure is tightly wrapped in cloth, holding a hoe in each hand pressed tightly against its sides. The face is very nicely modeled with expressive eyes and a delightful smile on the lips. Ushabti, or the “answerer,” were interred with the dead to serve as surrogate “workers” for the deceased in the afterlife. In the New Kingdom, numerous ushabti were part of the funerary accouterments made to function as slaves. The fine quality of this ushabti, and the fact it is made of costly faience, indicates its original owner was someone of wealth. Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the two hoes clutched in the hands and the basket carried on the back recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means "the answerer". The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: "0 this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here." The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single usabti was placed in any given tomb, but by the New Kingdom the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute, and many might be found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVIth Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.0488)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no single  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high x 2" (5.1cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Faience Perhaps no single object epitomizes the spirit of Ancient Egypt better than the ushabti. Shaped like a divine mummy, the ushabti evokes the magical side of the Egyptian belief in an afterlife, while the two hoes clutched in the hands recall the rural, agrarian culture of the land. The word ushabti (supplanting the older term shawabti) literally means “the answerer.” The function of these little figures is described in Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead: “O this Ushabti! If (the deceased) is called upon to do hard labor in the hereafter, say thou: I am here.” The ushabti was expected to answer the call to work in place of the deceased, and this passage was frequently inscribed on the figures themselves. Originally, a single ushabti was placed in a given tomb; but by the New Kingdom, the statues had come to be regarded as servants and slaves for the deceased rather than as a substitute, and many might be found buried together, along with an overseer figure. In the course of Egyptian history, ushabti were created from wood, stone, metal, and faience. In the cultural renaissance of the XXVI Dynasty (Saite period), a green faience, the color of the Nile and evocative of the verdant landscape in springtime, was particularly popular. To look upon an ushabti is to come face to face with the mystery and magic of Egypt itself. - (PF.5793)   « Less