Shabti of Senebimi
Middle Kingdom
Funerary figures known as shabtis first appeared during the early Middle Kingdom. When the deceased was called upon to carry out obligatory labor in the next world, these magical images were supposed to act in his or her place. Their traditional form is that of a wrapped mummy, initially represented as seen here, without defined arms or hands. The gessoed body of this early specimen is inscribed with a simple offering formula and the owner’s name.
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