Ushebti Box Third Intermediate Periode 22-25 Dynasties

Intact Ushebti Box. Third Intermediate Period, 22-25 Dynasties. Wooden planks with gesso and polychrome paint. All pieces intact though worn; some pegs missing L 28 cm A simple rectangular wooden ushebti box with slightly domed lid in the shape of a sarcophagus. The outer surface is covered in white gesso with a single horizontal line of very worn hieroglyphs running around all sides. The border lines are in red and the glyphs are in black. There are traces of a funeral boat in yellow on the lid. All the original adhesive of the construction has been lost, although traces of clay caulking are visible along the seams on the inside. For exhibition, it is held together by the original pegs, though these are loose. This type of box would have held a large number of small cursory and usually uninscribed ushebtis of the most common type; intact ushebti boxes in any condition are however very rare. Provenance: Richard Gill (Eternal Egypt), London, This lot is part of a large private collectio