AN EGYPTIAN TURQUOISE FAIENCE USHABTI OF TJAI-NE-HEBU, ADMIRAL OF THE ROYAL FLEET, 26TH DYNASTY, REIGN OF AMASIS, 570-526 B.C.
Auction Closed
December 3, 05:06 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
AN EGYPTIAN TURQUOISE FAIENCE USHABTI OF TJAI-NE-HEBU, ADMIRAL OF THE ROYAL FLEET, 26TH DYNASTY, REIGN OF AMASIS, 570-526 B.C.
born to Ta-nefer-ity, holding the hoe, pick, and seed-sack over his left shoulder, and wearing a braided bearded with curled tip and tripartite wig, the ten lines of inscription beginning and ending at the back pillar, a brief inscription on the foot.
Height 17.7 cm.
Breitbart Collection, very probably acquired from Royal-Athena Galleries, New York, between 1966 and 1980 (Sotheby’s, New York, The Breitbart Collection of Antiquities and Ancient Glass, June 20th, 1990, no. 22, illus.)
The tomb of Tjai-ne-hebu was found by Alexandre Barsanti and Gaston Maspero at Sakkara in 1900. It contained over four-hundred ushabtis. Barsanti described them as "d’un beau travail et d’un assez beau bleu tendre" (J.-F. and L. Aubert, Statuettes égyptiennes. Chaoubtis, Ouchebtis, 1974, p.227). For Tjai-ne-hebu’s tomb and his ushabtis in general see G. Janes, Shabtis. A Private View, 2002, pp. 210-214 (the present ushabti is recorded on p. 212, note 31); also see E. Bresciani et al., La Tomba di Ciennehebu, Capo della Flotta del Re, 1977.