WALTERS-EG
Walters Art Museum (Egyptian) · statue
Ushabti-Figure of Ka-ha
Description
<p>A painted wooden ushabti of Ka-ha, the Chief of Painters. The figure wears a white mummiform garment upon which there is a seven line inscription written in black divided by horizontal lines of red. There is a vertical area for text in the back which has been left blank. The black paint of the tripartite wig has begun to mineralize and flake off. A broad collar is outlined in black and red between the modeled wig lappets. The face and hands of the figure are painted red. The details of the face, including the cosmetic lines of the eyes are accented in black. The figure holds two scythes against his chest and two baskets over his shoulders but these are merely painted in red and not modeled in relief. The arms, although covered in the mummiform shroud are modeled in relief, crossed over the chest and the hands are visible.This ushabti, purchased from the colleagues of tomb artists, exhibits superior workmanship.</p><p>For the latest information about this object, <cite><a href='https://purl.thewalters.org/art/22.186' rel='external'>Ushabti-Figure of Ka-ha</a></cite>, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.</p>
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A painted Egyptian shabti (ushabti) figure standing frontally with a black wig and striped nemes-style head covering, holding a staff/implement and with a dense hieroglyphic inscription panel on the body.
The artifact is a small, mummiform-style shabti figure shown standing upright against a plain red background. The face is modeled with painted features; a dark (black) wig/headcloth frames the head. The torso has painted bands and straps, including a broad collar and a central vertical stripe that resembles a chest/garment panel. In the lower body, the figure’s painted legs and feet are visible. On the lower front (and extending down the body) there is a rectangular field filled with hieroglyphic signs arranged in rows. The figure also appears to hold a tool or staff across the front of the body/arms; the exact implement details are partially unclear but a cross-front posture is visible. No cartouches are clearly identifiable in the provided image. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible. The visible paint appears to be a multi-color scheme (dark black/brown for hair/wig and markings; light ground for skin/ground; red/ochre and darker accents on garments and inscription field).
funerary
Unclear; likely Late Period to Ptolemaic shabti tradition based on style, but not certain from this single image.
good
Materials
painted wood (inferred from catalogued material and typical shabti appearance)visible paint layers (multicolor)
Signs
Assorted hieroglyphs in a vertical inscription panel (exact signs unclear) ×30
Visible text
"Multiple rows of black-painted hieroglyphs on the front body panel; specific readable word(s) not confidently extractable from this image resolution."
Inscriptions (2)
Inscription #1
English description
[Translation] The Illuminated One, Osiris: Chief of Painters, Ka-ha, true of voice, he says: O' this ushabti: if Osiris, Chief of Draughtsmen, Ka-ha, is assembled for any work that is to be done in the necropolis, or any unpleasant task is imposed
Inscription #2
English description
[upon him] there...
Cross-references (2)
- Walters-AccNum 22.186 tier-2
- Walters-id 10317 tier-2
Similar inscriptions · by content embedding
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Walters Art Museum (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.