Shabti of Henutwedjebu

Period New Kingdom Period (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1070 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 18 (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1295 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna necoroplis (ancient Thebes)

Date18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE), about 1350 BCE

Dimensions10 7/8 × 3 1/4 × 1 7/8 in. (27.6 × 8.3 × 4.8 cm)

Mediumdark hardwood from central Africa with Egyptian blue inlay and black pigment

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society

Object number

1993.52

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

Label TextThis carved wooden figure is a shabti, or funerary servant statue, made to work on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul might be called upon to perform manual labor in the divine fields of Osiris, such as farming or carrying sand. To spare themselves this toil, tomb owners included shabtis—often inscribed with a magical spell from the Book of the Dead that would animate the figure when summoned. This example is inscribed with Henutwedjebu’s name and titles, identifying her as a “Singer of Amun” and “Lady of the House,” roles associated with elite women attached to temple service in Thebes. Henutwedjebu was buried in a small but richly appointed tomb alongside her husband, Hatiay, a granary-overseer for the Aten temple, and two other women. Her shabti is unusually large and finely made, carved from African hardwood and inlaid. It was likely discovered in 1896 by French archaeologist Georges Daressy in Tomb TT324 at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, and attests to the high status and religious affiliations of its owner during the reign of Amenhotep III and/or Akhenaten.Published ReferencesPeck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 53, 54, repr. (col.) p. 53.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 63, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryCincinnati, Cincinnati Art Museum; Brooklyn, Brooklyln Museum, Mistress of the house, mistress of heaven: Women in ancient Egypt, 1996-97, no. 74, p. 149, repr. (col.)

Toledo, Toledo Museum of art, A Decade of Giving: the Apollo Society at the Toledo Museum of Art, 1996, p. 18, repr. (col.)

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, 2010-2012.

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Inspired Giving: The Apollo Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition, October 15, 2010-February 13, 2011, p. 22, repr. (col.) p. 22.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Daressy, M.G., "Rapport sur la trouvaille de..., " Annales du service des Antiquités de l'Egypte, 2, 1901, pp. 1-13.

See also Aubert, J.F., and L., Statuettes égyptienne chaouabtis, ouchebitis, Paris, 1974.

See also Schneider, D., Shabtis: An Introduction to the History of Ancient Egyptian Funerary Statuettes with a Catalogue of the Collection of Shabtis in the National Museum of Antiquities at Leiden, Leiden, 1977.

See also Martin, Geoggrey T., "Shabtis of private persons in the Amarna Period," Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Abteilung Kairo, vol. 42, 1986, pp. 41-129.

See also Kozloff, A., et al, Egypt's Dazzling Sun, the World of Amenhotep III, Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition catalogue, 1992, pp. 309-310, pp. 312-317, cat. no. 61, pls 34, 35.

See also Zivie, Alain, "Hatiay, Scribe du Temple D'Aton A Memphis," Egypt, Israel, and the ancient Mediterranean World; studies in honor of Donald B. Redford, Leiden; Boston, Brill, 2004, p. 226, note 10.