49 - A SUPERB FAIENCE SHABTI OF THE TREASURER OF LOWER EGYPT, PA-ABUMEH, SAITE PERIOD, SECOND HALF OF THE 26TH DYNASTY, 6TH-5TH CENTURY BC

A SUPERB FAIENCE SHABTI OF THE TREASURER OF LOWER EGYPT, PA-ABUMEH, SAITE PERIOD, SECOND HALF OF THE 26TH DYNASTY, 6TH-5TH CENTURY BC Exhibited: Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (Mougins Museum of Classical Art), 2011-2023, inventory number MMoCA.696. Published: 1. P. Clayton, Ancient Egypt, in M. Merrony (ed.) , Mougins Museum of Classical Art, 2011, p. 37, fig. 9. 2. M. Merrony, Ancient Egypt, in M. Merrony (ed.), Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, La collection famille Levett, France, 2012, p. 22. Expert’s note: Pa-abumeh, whose “good name” was Psamtik-seneb, was a high-ranking official of the Late Period who held the prestigious title of Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt as well as that of King’s Acquaintance. The office of treasurer belonged to the uppermost echelon of the Egyptian administration and placed its holder in close proximity to the royal court and the management of the crown’s economic resources. His elevated status is reflected in the exceptionally large and finely produced group of faience shabtis prepared for his burial. Numerous examples survive today in major institutional collections, including twenty-two in Cairo and eight in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Despite the comparatively substantial number of Pa-abumeh shabtis preserved in major institutional collections, the present lot appears to be the only example to have come to the international auction market during the past two decades, a remarkable circumstance that underlines the extreme rarity of these shabtis in private hands. Egypt. Finely rendered with arms crossed over the chest and the hands and head emerging from the wrappings, the left hand grasps a pick and the right hand holds a hoe, along with a twisted cord that leads to a basket of seeds behind the left shoulder. His face with a gentle smile, wearing a tripartite wig and false beard. The lower body is incised with ten horizontal lines of inscription, wrapping around to meet on either side of the back pillar. Inscriptions: The hieroglyphs reproduce Chapter VI of the Book of the Dead and give the name of the deceased, ‘The Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, known to the king, Pa-abumeh, nicknamed Psametikseneb, son of Aakha, born of Taoupetnefret’. Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, firing irregularities, few traces of prolonged burial, and little encrustations. French Export License: Certificat d’exportation pour un bien culturel, no. 258609, dated 4 February 2026, has been granted. A copy accompanies this lot. Provenance: - M. M. Belfer collection, Paris, France, acquired in the 1960s. - Galerie David Ghezelbash, Paris, France, 2011. - Christian Levett collection, Musée d'Art Classique de Mougins, acquired from the above. The base inscribed with the collection number MM.2011.693. Weight: 227 g Dimensions: Height 17.2 cm Although there a number of shabtis for Pa-abumeh in collections around the world, the location of his tomb is not known. As a Treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt and King's Acquaintance, it is possible that he was buried at Saqqara, where many of the highest officials of his time had their tombs. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related shabti for Pa-abumeh, dated Later period, 595-380 BC, 15.3 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 15.43.11. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 26 January 2023, lot 24 Price: USD 37,800 or approx. EUR 39,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An Egyptian faience shabti for Hekaemsaef, Late Period, 26th Dynasty, reign of Amasis, 570–526 B.C. Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, material, period, and similarly fine execution. Note also the similar size (18 cm). Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.