Detail of the Funerary Figure of Ramesses II in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Large Ushabti of Ramesses II

Ramesses II, one of Egypt's mightiest pharaohs, left countless monuments throughout the Nile Valley. Ironically, however, his tomb in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes has yielded few funerary figurines (known as shabtis, shawabtis, or ushebtis, depending on the spelling in the text on the particular example), having been plundered in Dynasty XX and not yet completely excavated. This is one of only three wooden examples known. Inscribed with Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead, the text associated with funerary figurines, it resembles many fine statuettes from Deir el Medineh, the Theban home of the craftsmen who built and decorated the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Medium: Wood

Possible Place Collected: Thebes, Deir el Bahri, Egypt

Dates: ca. 1213 B.C.E.

Dynasty: XIX Dynasty

Period: New Kingdom

Dimensions: 12 1/2 x 3 7/16 in. (31.8 x 8.7 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 08.480.5

Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3232/Large_...