Rare ancient Egyptian Ushabti

These small mummy shaped Ushabti were "answerers" in the afterlife, and when the deceased is called to labor the ushabtis answers for them and take their place in daily toil. The deceased were all expected to take part through eternity in the "Field of Reeds" and the Ushabti or Shabti undertook this laborious assignment for them. For nearly 2000 years most individuals were buried with a quantity of these, one for each day of the year along with an Overseer for each gang of ten laborers. That would account for 401 figures for each deceased, with some deceased buried with many sets. This is why they are among the most numerous of Egyptian antiquities. The Book of the Dead reads: “Illumine the Osiris [name of the deceased], whose word is truth. Hail, Shabti Figure! If the Osiris [name of the deceased] be decreed to do any of the work which is to be done in Khert-Neter (the Egyptian underworld), let everything which strands in the way be removed from him- whether it be to plough the fields