Egyptian statue - ushabti / shabti statue

Shabti / Ushabti / Shawabti figure

Dimensions of Shabti figure -

Height - 24.5 cm / 9 - 3/4 inches

Width - 8.3 cm / 3-1/4 inches
The stand adds almost 5 cm / 2 inches to the overall height.

*To see behind the scenes painting progress for this variety of figure please check Down under Pharaoh on Instagram. A dedicated ushabti video can also be found on Down under Pharaoh YouTube channel which features other interesting variations.

This piece has an attractive ancient look and the colours are subtle with finely painted details carefully applied on the broad collar, eyes, brows and the many hieroglyphs that encircle the body individually coloured with a fine brush.



I made many different varieties of shabti figures in the 1980's and 1990's and this one was first made available early in 2010 . They are always uniquely coloured.

This is a solid figure made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone used for fine detailed replicas.


Hieroglyphic text

The inscription features the full ushabti spell as mentioned below with the owners name being Yuya.

The inscription reads:-

O' this shabti, if the Osiris Yuya is required for any work that is to be done yonder in the netherworld, or an unpleasant task/obstacle is imposed upon him there as a man at his duties, 'here I am' you shall say. If you are detailed at any time to serve there, to cultivate the fields, to irrigate the riverbanks, to ferry sand from the east to the west and vice versa, 'here I am' you shall say.

Background information:-
The name stems from the Sha-wab tree, as early figures were made from its wood. Later figures employed a great variety of materials such as clay, faience{opaque blue green glass} plaster and stone depending on what you could afford. These figures were placed within the tomb of an individual to magically come to life performing any work required by the god Osiris in the afterlife. A modest burial would have one or two figures, however during the late period the quantities included within a burial increased to allow a shabti for each day of the year plus overseers. Some burials had even more.



About the Artist -






Kameron's works are mostly sculptures both in the round or relief carving. His speciality is the reproduction of ancient Egyptian sculpture. His work was exhibited extensively in Brisbane with displays in the state museum, and in conjunction with a spectacular production of the opera Aida. His story and his work was shown on Australian television, and his hand made sculptures sold across Australia, and to overseas destinations such as New York, London, Iceland, India and Switzerland. Many of them are used as decorator items for interior design (Objects D'art) or as whole feature walls. The strength of his commercial work stems from the ancient realism that he gives his pieces. You can view some of his releifs and sculpture here.

Kameron grew up on a farm an hour and a half south of Brisbane, Australia. The mountains of the Great Dividing Range were always in view and particularly close was a mountain known as the sleeping Assyrian - a colossal figure of a man gazing skyward as he lay on his back. He developed a very close affinity with the land studying the many rocks and fossils that he discovered on his expeditions.






But it was when Kameron's father brought home a large book that was filled with many different ancient cultures that he fell in love with Egypt. As a child, Kameron tried to emulate the past by carving images into the stones and forming clay figurines. As a teenager he was Pharaoh, high priest and artisan whenever he visited his grandparents remote property. This was his imaginary empire and at this most special and sacred place he really learnt to carve. Small sandstone cliffs were transformed to become the home of larger than life sized Pharaonic heads, small pyramids were constructed for his royal pets while non royal pets were merely given a small sealed underground chamber. Artworks were created exclusively for burial and accompanied the many mummified fish and birds as well as un-mummified cats and dogs. It was an unconventional subconscious learning experience. He never thought he would take it further than the fields, but now it is a full time occupation which sees his work going all over the world, even making pieces of authentic "museum quality" reproductions for Warner Brothers film sets.




In the art of sculpture Kameron is self-taught. Over the years, he has created a range of realistic ancient sculptures with an attention to detail that makes the work look as though you have just unearthed it from an archaeological site … and that is the difference. Some of the world's leading archaeologists have viewed Kameron's work with interest comparing it favourably with the artists that lived in Egypt's ancient capital of Thebes. He has also had the privilege to restore some antiquities matching form and colours exactly to suit, such as a relief sculpture from the tomb of King Seti the first. It was actually a cast made by notorious adventurer Giovani Belzoni for an exhibition in London in the 19th century to show the world for the first time the distinctive style that is Egyptian art.