27 - A GREEN SERPENTINE SHABTI FRAGMENT FOR HARWA, THE ROYAL ACQUAINTANCE, LATE PERIOD, 25TH DYNASTY

A GREEN SERPENTINE SHABTI FRAGMENT FOR HARWA, THE ROYAL ACQUAINTANCE, LATE PERIOD, 25TH DYNASTY Published: Szabados, Tamás (2023), Study of an Ancient Egyptian Statuette from a Private Collection, [Bachelor’s Thesis, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest]. The complete thesis is available to readers here: www.zacke.at/lot27_ant1126/?au=182 Egypt, c. 744-656 BC. Finely carved, the ushabti depicts Harwa, in an idealized form, the arms crossed right over left, each hand holding an incised hoe, a seed bag suspended by a single cord over the right shoulder. The face is sensitively modeled with small eyes, a broad nose, full lips, and prominent ears, framed by a smooth tripartite wig, and a false beard to the chin. Four horizontal registers of finely incised hieroglyphs extend across the front and partly around the sides. Inscriptions: To the body, an excerpt from Spell 6 of the Book of the Dead, naming the owner as Harwa, “the King’s Acquaintance.” The text calls upon the statuette to answer “Here I am” when Harwa is summoned to perform work in the afterlife, breaking off before the enumeration of the tasks. Provenance: The private collection of Martin Kerner, Kirchdorf, Switzerland, and thence by descent to his wife. A Hungarian private collection, acquired from the above. The underside with a felt base and collection number ‘A35’. Martin Kerner (d. 2008) was a Swiss researcher, author, and collector with wide-ranging interests in early material culture, ritual objects, ancient systems of measurement, and archeoastronomy. A noted specialist in Indonesian keris, he published 'Keris-Griffe aus dem malayischen Archipel' with the Museum Rietberg, Zurich, in 1996, alongside studies on prehistoric measuring systems and astronomy. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, fragmentary as preserved, small chips to the beard, pitting, and abrasions, with wear to the incised details. The facial features and substantial portions of the inscription remain remarkably well preserved. Weight: 416 g (excl. stand), 661.4 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 11.3 cm (excl. stand), 13 cm (incl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) Expert’s note: The inscription offers particularly compelling evidence for identifying the owner as Harwa. In addition to his name and the title “King’s Acquaintance,” it preserves an unusual grammatical feature in the spell’s “obstacle formula,” the passage concerning impediments to performing work in the afterlife. As Szabados notes, the verb meaning “to impose” or “to set up” carries a third-person plural suffix reportedly found only on the ushabtis of Harwa and Amenirdis I. This textual correspondence strengthens the attribution suggested by the figure’s stylistic affinities. Its original setting remains uncertain, however. Szabados allows that it may have been deposited as a votive offering at the cult place of the Divine Adoratrice or another deity, rather than included in Harwa’s burial equipment. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 30 April 2008, lot 202 Price: GBP 24,500 or approx. EUR 47,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian upper part of a serpentine shabti for the royal acquaintance Harwa, Late Dynasty, XXV-early Dynasty XXVI Expert remark: Compare the identical subject and similar modeling, preservation, inscriptions, and size (11.5 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 15 December 2016, lot 19 Mid-Estimate: USD 75,000 or approx. EUR 92,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Fragmentary Egyptian Serpentine Ushabti of the Chief Lector Priest Petamenophis, 25th Dynasty, reign of Taharqa/Tanwetamani, 690-656 B.C. Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar subject, preservation, and inscriptions. Note the size (18.7 cm). Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.