Ushabti for Lady Anhai
An Egyptian wood painted ushabti for lady Anhai, the chantress of Amun. There is a scene in the Book of the Dead where Anubis is found weighing the heart of a priestess named lady Anhai. The image is striking because it shows the young Anhai as she is being led to the afterworld even though she retains her youthful vigor and beauty.
The powerful story of the beautiful Anhai on her journey to the afterlife was well known to ancient Egyptians, which is why this funerary figurine was made in her image. Figurines such as this one were known as ushabti, which were placed in tombs and were intended to act as protectors of the recently deceased.
This wooden ushabti was meant to represent Anhai herself, both in tribute as well as to appeal to the young priestess for a safe journey to the afterlife.
The woman’s dress bears a vertical band of black hieroglyphs on gold backing, while the dress shows faded strips of blue and green to liven up the figure. Her dark hair falls thickly on thin shoulders, while her face is almost pleading as it gazes forward in a forlorn expression. Her arms are particularly expressive, wrapped tightly against her chest and seemingly locked against one another in a protective display of force.
Ushabtis were an essential part of burial customs, especially from the Middle Kingdom, c. 2040–1782 B.C., all the way through the Late Period, c. 664–332 B.C. They were magical spiritual figures intended to serve the deceased in the afterlife, ensuring they would not have to perform manual labour themselves, ensuring their comfort and eliminating the need for them to work.
Their mummiform shape linked them to Osiris, the god of the afterlife and resurrection. There was usually a version of the “Shabti Spell” from the Book of the Dead (Spell 6), instructing the figure to act as a servant when summoned.
If wealthy enough, your ushabti (or multiple) would be created with your likeness, but all typically took the form of a mummiform figure (a body wrapped like a mummy) holding farming tools, such as hoes and baskets, ready for labour when called upon.
In the Egyptian Afterlife, deceased from the poorer classes to royalty were thought to be called upon to perform tasks such as farming or construction. Maintaining the fields of Aaru (heavenly realm) were seen as a dignified and prideful act, with people of even the upper classes depicted in their tombs doing farm work in the heavens.
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty, ca. 1100 BC. Ex collection A.E. Davis. Now in the Private Collection.
