Shabti of Hekaemsaf, Overseer of the Fleet

Artist Unidentified

Period Late Period (Ancient Egyptian, 664–332 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 26 (Saite) (Ancient Egyptian, 664–525 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt, likely from Saqqara Necropolis

Date26th Dynasty (664–525 BCE), about 570-527 BCE

Dimensions6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)

MediumEgyptian faience

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1906.31

Not on View

DescriptionThis small figure is shaped like a wrapped mummy and made from blue-green glazed faience. It stands on a short base, with a flat support rising up the back. The figure wears a long wig and a short, curled beard—symbols of divine transformation. Its arms are crossed over the chest, holding tiny farming tools: a pick in one hand and a hoe in the other. A line of hieroglyphs runs down the back, following a traditional spell used on shabtis.

Label TextThis faience shabti is a funerary figure from the tomb of a high-ranking official named Hekaemsaf. As the "Overseer of the Royal Fleet" during the reign of Amasis (570–526 B.C.E.), Hekaemsaf held a prominent position. Placed in the tomb, this figure was magically endowed to perform manual labor in the afterlife on Hekaemsaf's behalf, ensuring he could rest undisturbed.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, October 29, 2010-January 8, 2012.

Toledo Museum of Art, The Mummies: From Egypt to Toledo, February 3- May 6, 2018.