Shabti Coffin of Thutmose IV
Unknown Artist
ca. 1400–1390 B.C.
Medium
Faience
Dimensions
Length of box: 19.8 cm (7 13/16 in); length of lid: 19.4 cm 7 5/8 in)
Classification
Shabti coffin, Thutmose IV
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.8.26a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the mystical world of ancient Egypt with the *Shabti Coffin of Thutmose IV*, a delicate faience treasure from the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty (. 1400–1390 B.C.). Crafted for Pharaoh Thutmose IV—known for his visionary Dream Stele at the Great Sphinx—this small coffin (box: 19.8 cm long; lid: 19.4 cm) once housed a shabti, a magical servant figurine. In Egyptian belief, shabtis animated in the afterlife to perform laborious tasks for their owner, sparing pharaohs from eternity's toil. This artifact reflects the era's obsession with immortality, blending royal prestige with everyday fun...