Khabauptah, the royal manicurist Limestone, L:29 1/4, W: 12 3/8; D: 1 1/2in (75 x 32 x 4 cm) Old Kingdom, Dynasty 5, Reign of Niuserre, ca. 2477-2466 BCE Sakkara Purchased in Cairo, 1920, OIM 10815 Photo ©Joan Ann Lansberry, 2010

(From museum info card): "Khabauptah, shown seated to the left holding a scepter and staff indicating high status, served as the overseer of royal manicurists for King Niuserre. Another monument of Khabauptah indicates that he also held the position of royal hairdresser. The king was attended by a large staff of men and women who saw to every detail of his grooming and clothing." (From _Ancient Egypt: Treasures of the Oriental Institute_, by Emily Teeter, page 28): That's not all Khabauptah did. He also was "an official who served as a priest of the funerary cults of the Dynasty 5 kings Sahure, Neferirkare, and Niuserre, as well as being a priest of Re and Hathor in the Sun Temple of Neferirkare." "The combination of such positions is a reminder that many priestly positions were part-time, allowing the priest to pursue a variety of occupations. "On this lintel, Kha-bau-ptah sits on a stool whose bovine-shaped legs rest on drums." "Details of his dress may have been added in paint which is now eroded." Inscription: "The one revered by the great god, [revered] by the king, beloved of his lord, the Overseer of the Royal Manicurists, Kha-bau-ptah"