The Shawabti, or funerary, figures were intended to perform work in the place of the deceased in the afterlife. They were usually made of faience, wood, or pottery and were various sizes.
They were divided according to their functions and to the Egyptian calendar as follows: 365 workmen, each for one day of the year, and 36 overseers, each as a chief of a week of ten days or ten workers. In the tomb of Tutankhamun, 12 supplementary foremen were added, one for each month, totaling 413.
This Shawabti of gilded wood is an image of the young king wearing the Khepresh crown of ceremonies and processions and the uraeus. It is adorned with a broad collar cut in gold leaf and the two insignia of Osiris. |
