Model Basket for a Shabti
New Kingdom
The tomb of Yuya and Tjuyu (KV 46 in the Valley of the Kings) was excavated in February 1905 by American financier Theodore M. Davis of Rhode Island. In the division of finds, Davies received two large, sealed storage jars, a pair of sandals, two shabti boxes, three superbly crafted shabtis, and a group of shabti tools including a yoke and baskets, and a hoe. Some of these pieces were given to The MET not long after the tomb was discovered. The others were bequeathed to the Museum after Davis died in 1915.
New Kingdom shabtis are often represented holding a pick and a hoe and have one or two baskets represented hanging down their backs. Sometimes, however, actual model tools, like those from Yuya and Tjuyu's tomb, were provided for the shabtis use.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
