Shabti (VCU_3D_5126)

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This ancient shabti is crafted from durable clay and boasts vibrant red painted adornments. In Ancient Egypt, these figurines played crucial roles in funerary rites. They were carefully placed within tombs to serve as devoted spirit servants for the deceased during their afterlife journey. This particular shabti likely dates back to the Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE), given its distinctive clay composition, bold red decorations, and absence of Book of the Dead text. This remarkable artifact was once a part of the King Tut exhibit at Luxor Casino, but it has since found a new home at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. On February 14, 2020, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum employed cutting-edge technology by utilizing a NextEngine Ultra to capture this shabti in stunning 3-D detail. The resulting model is now freely available for non-commercial educational and research purposes through a collaboration between the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and the Virtual Curation Laboratory at Virginia Commonwealth University.