EGYPTIAN SERPENTINE AMENHOTEP III USHABTI TORSO

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Ca. 1390 - 1352 BC
A rare ushabti of Amenhotep III, depicted mummiform with the torso runing parallel to the body and the lower arms are crossed over the chest. The remains of a 'nemes' wig cover, with two long lappets at the front and a queue at the back, can be seen from the end resting on the shoulder. The shabti holds two 'ankh' signs in his hands, symbolising life and, in particular, the desired life after death, thus identifying the figure with the king himself. The shabti is inscribed with six rows of hieroglyphs, with Chapter 6 from the Book of the Dead, invoking the shabti to serve as a surrogate for the Pharaoh if he was called upon to labour in the afterlife. For similar examples, see pp. 79-81, pls 12-13. in J.-F. and L. Aubert, Statuettes Égyptiennes: Chaouabtis, Ouchebtis, Paris, 1974. The tomb of Amenhotep III was originally found by two engineers under Napolean's expedition in AD 1799, and was subsequently rediscovered by Victor Loret in AD 1898 - 1899 and excavated by Theodore M Davis in AD 1905 - 1914. Many shabtis from the tomb are now in museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and The British Museum.
Size: 150mm x 70mm; Weight: 555g
Provenance: Prince collection, 1990s-2014, acquired from Aaron Gallery, April 2003, London, UK. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.
Estimate: GBP 12000 - 20000