Shabti of Nesenaset
Unknown Artist
ca. 1070–945 B.C.
Medium
Faience
Dimensions
H 10.9 × W 4.4 × D 2.7 cm (4 5/16 × 1 3/4 × 1 1/16 in.)
Classification
Shabti, Nesenaset
Period
Third Intermediate Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1925
Accession Number
25.3.23d
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Egyptian Art galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we encounter the enchanting *Shabti of Nesenaset*, a small yet profound funerary figurine from Egypt's Third Intermediate Period (ca.1070–945 B.C.), specifically Dynasty 21. Crafted around 3,000 years ago, this shabti—measuring just 10.9 cm tall—was designed as a servant for the afterlife. In ancient Egyptian belief, these mummiform figures, often inscribed with spells from the Book of the Dead, would magically awaken to perform laborious tasks for their owner in the realm of Osiris, sparing the deceased from eternal...