Egyptian statue / sculpture - ushabti mummy figure with Ba soul bird, and the sister goddesses Isis & Nepthys - 18th dynasty art

Mummy figure / Ushabti resting on a bed

Dimensions - Height - 5.5 cm - 2-1/4 inches

Base length - 10 cm - 4 inches

Base width - 3.4cm - 1 -3/8 inches

Presently available to order by your request. Please allow 1 week for completion.

This unusual statue format features a mummy figure resting for eternity on a ceremonial bed. This is a replica of an actual ancient artifact that would have had two possible uses. A private memorial to the deceased in the home of his decendants, perhaps placed in a wall niche with an oil lamp. Alternatively it may have been placed in the tomb of the deceased as a standby for his mummy if something happened to it.
It is a tender variation of the ushabti type that was made during the mid 18th dynasty during the reign of Amenhotep III. That it was composed in his reign can be determined by the facial style and the particular cut and shape of the wig.

Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone it has a realistic slate black patina.



Details

The male figure laying on the ceremonial bed is being massaged on his heart by a 'Ba' bird which has a human head with a bird's body. A ba was known as a 'soul bird' and represented the departed personality that would fly in and out of the tomb each day to watch over his or her family and partake in a spritual sense, the life once lived.
At each end of the bed can be seen a protective goddess. The standing figure represents Isis while at the other end her sister Nepthys kneels in raised relief and holds a 'Shen' protection symbol.
This statue design was an elaborate form that made an appearance during the 18th dynasty and would have been considered a luxury item.

***An interesting note about this piece was the discovery of another similar statue of a married couple on a bed with the same pair of goddesses and the Ba bird. What is striking is the artistic similarity that suggests it is by the same ancient hand. A rare example of more than one item from the same ancient artist to have survived. That statue will hopefully soon join with this example which makes it's debut here today.