Shabty of Nofer, ca. 1352–1279 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), 4 5/8 x width at elbows 1 5/8 in. (11.8 x 4.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.377. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.377_wwgA-3.jpg)
Shabty of Nofer, ca. 1352–1279 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), 4 5/8 x width at elbows 1 5/8 in. (11.8 x 4.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.377. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.377_mummychamber.jpg)
Shabty of Nofer
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
The Egyptians manufactured funerary figurines, originally called shabties, as early as Dynasty 12 (1932–1759 B.C.E.). The earliest shabties are inscribed with either the deceased’s name (see nos. 1 and 2) or a simple form of Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. The rarity and high quality of the early shabties suggest that they were costly items produced for privileged persons.
Later, Chapter 6 began appearing more frequently on funerary figurines. The text mentions that they do agricultural tasks for the dead person: irrigating the fields, cultivating crops, and clearing away sand that blew in from the nearby desert.
As substitutes for the deceased, these figurines were sometimes given their own sarcophagi (see no. 6). To emphasize the agricultural function of the figurines, hoes and grain baskets were added to them (no. 8).
Wood (nos. 9–11), stone (nos. 12–14, 16), faience (no. 17), metal, and other materials were used beginning in Dynasty 18. By the end of the New Kingdom, statuettes for a single person were often mold-made by the hundreds and even thousands. Faience became the medium of choice, first in blue and later in light green or light blue (nos. 17, 20, 21).
Later, Chapter 6 began appearing more frequently on funerary figurines. The text mentions that they do agricultural tasks for the dead person: irrigating the fields, cultivating crops, and clearing away sand that blew in from the nearby desert.
As substitutes for the deceased, these figurines were sometimes given their own sarcophagi (see no. 6). To emphasize the agricultural function of the figurines, hoes and grain baskets were added to them (no. 8).
Wood (nos. 9–11), stone (nos. 12–14, 16), faience (no. 17), metal, and other materials were used beginning in Dynasty 18. By the end of the New Kingdom, statuettes for a single person were often mold-made by the hundreds and even thousands. Faience became the medium of choice, first in blue and later in light green or light blue (nos. 17, 20, 21).
MEDIUM
Egyptian alabaster (calcite)
DATES
ca. 1352–1279 B.C.E.
DYNASTY
late Dynasty 18 to early Dynasty 19
PERIOD
New Kingdom
DIMENSIONS
4 5/8 x width at elbows 1 5/8 in. (11.8 x 4.2 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
16.377
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is on view in Funerary Gallery 2, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
CAPTION
Shabty of Nofer, ca. 1352–1279 B.C.E. Egyptian alabaster (calcite), 4 5/8 x width at elbows 1 5/8 in. (11.8 x 4.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father, Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.377. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.377_wwgA-3.jpg)
IMAGE
installation, West Wing gallery A-3 installation, CUR.16.377_wwgA-3.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2005
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
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