The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Shawabty of Ditamenpaankh
715–656 BCE
(715–332 BCE)
Overall: 4.1 x 1.6 x 1 cm (1 5/8 x 5/8 x 3/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
High demand for shawabtys in the Late Period (when as many as 400 or more shawabtys were placed in a tomb), gave rise to a specialized container for storing them. This shawabty box was probably one of a pair originally made for the lady Ditamenpaankh. The single-masted boat on the lid may refer to the pilgrimage of the deceased to the holy city of Abydos, the cult city of Osiris, king of the dead. The sides are inscribed with the traditional shawabty spell charging the funerary servants with their duties. The shawabtys inside are crude, mass-produced examples that were cast in an open mold. Made of terracotta, their blue paint imitates more costly shawabtys made of faience.- Probably Thebes. Purchased in Egypt by Lucy Olcott Perkins through Henry W. Kent.
- Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 448-9
- {{cite web|title=Shawabty of Ditamenpaankh|url=false|author=|year=715–656 BCE|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.718.38