Ptolemaic Period, Ca. 323 BC. An ancient Egyptian faience mummiform ushabti wearing a plain tripartite wig and plaited divine beard. The wig is worn low on the forehead and the ears, which are fairly well modelled, protrude over the side lappets of the wig. The arms are crossed on the chest, and the hands hold a pick and hoe. The eyes are quite large and the nose is broad. The figure stands against a dorsal pillal and upon a trapezoidal base. The Egyptians assumed even after getting to the afterlife that life would not be easy, so they took magical figures with them called shabtis to ask a servant to make their afterlife as easy and trouble-free as possible. The idea of shabtis first appeared as wax figures in the First Intermediate Period. These gradually moved onto figures formed of stone and wood in mummiform shape. By the time of the New Kingdom during the Reign of Thutmose IV these became more stylised and would carry agricultural tools to assist them plough the fields, bring in the harvest and fill in the water channels. These figures were an important object in the tombs of the deceased and by the time of the Third Intermediate Period, tombs would carry them in chests in large supplies. These shabtis would come alive on the command of the dead and were called upon with magic from the Book of the Dead.Size: L:105mm / W:30mm ; 80gProvenance: Private London collection; ex. B. Kickx and J. Peeters collections, pre 1978, Belgium.