Seated Scribe
Title
Seated Scribe
Date
ca. 2600 BCE during the fourth dynasty during the reign of Pharaoh Sneferu
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
painted limestone, rock crystal, magnesite, copper, arsenic, and wood
Height of the work
53.7 cm tall
Provenience
In the vicinity of the Djoser Step Pyramid, at the Necropolis at Saqqara, Egypt
Current Location
The Lourve, Paris, France
Description and Significance
Description:
The "Seated Scribe" depicts a male figure sitting cross-legged with his hands in his lap. The figure is seated on a semi-circular base with his shoulders erect and his head angled forward and eyes looking ahead. His right hand is in the process of unrolling papyrus that is resting on the fabric of his kilt. His left hand is posed in the writing position, resting on top of the papyrus. Missing from this hand is a reed pen, that has broken off and been lost. He has dark, red skin with a black, painted hairline that has chipped away with time. His large ears are the third of the length of his head, larger than normal human proportions but still human-like. His arched eyebrows frame his magnesite -inset eyes that are thickly outlined with copper. His thin lips are centered around his square jaw, and his facial expression is attentive but relaxed. His body is padded with extra fat, with extra rolls resting on his belly. His muscle tone is weak, his shoulders slope and his arms appear fleshy.
Significance:
This statue, found near the step-pyramid of King Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt gives modern viewers a glimpse of life at the height of the Old Kingdom. The scribe is depicted at work, in a very informal manner, and shown as more natural and human like- compared to pharaohs. He is not depicted as youthful and powerful, as was typical of royals. This is because while important and necessary to the function of Egyptian society, the scribe himself is not a royal. The fact that this statue exists is a testament to the scribe’s position in the social hierarchy. This statue would have been created as a funerary statue, or a ka statue. The Ka, or the “life-spark” was something only royals and nobles had, again speaking to the status of the scribe depicted. But because he is not a divine figure, he does not have the typical conventions of a pharaoh statue. The pose itself, while informal, is a typical “scribe pose”, with strong frontality as he is seated and poised to write. The face is more individualized, with the thin lips and large ears, the seated scribe could potentially portray a specific individual. While the face is more personalized, it is unknown who this scribe could be. The excavation documents were lost, and the specific location of origin is still unknown because of looting and pillaging. Some art historians believe that this figure could be “Pehernefer”, a scribe from the fourth dynasty who has been depicted with thin lips and large ears. He is also more commonly identified as “Kai”. An inscribed statue of a scribe named Kai was found in the same area of Saqqara. Many art historians contend this is the identity of the seated scribe, because the techniques used to inlay the eyes in both statues are nearly identical. Regardless of his identity, the significance of the seated scribe is apparent in the twenty-first century.
The "Seated Scribe" depicts a male figure sitting cross-legged with his hands in his lap. The figure is seated on a semi-circular base with his shoulders erect and his head angled forward and eyes looking ahead. His right hand is in the process of unrolling papyrus that is resting on the fabric of his kilt. His left hand is posed in the writing position, resting on top of the papyrus. Missing from this hand is a reed pen, that has broken off and been lost. He has dark, red skin with a black, painted hairline that has chipped away with time. His large ears are the third of the length of his head, larger than normal human proportions but still human-like. His arched eyebrows frame his magnesite -inset eyes that are thickly outlined with copper. His thin lips are centered around his square jaw, and his facial expression is attentive but relaxed. His body is padded with extra fat, with extra rolls resting on his belly. His muscle tone is weak, his shoulders slope and his arms appear fleshy.
Significance:
This statue, found near the step-pyramid of King Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt gives modern viewers a glimpse of life at the height of the Old Kingdom. The scribe is depicted at work, in a very informal manner, and shown as more natural and human like- compared to pharaohs. He is not depicted as youthful and powerful, as was typical of royals. This is because while important and necessary to the function of Egyptian society, the scribe himself is not a royal. The fact that this statue exists is a testament to the scribe’s position in the social hierarchy. This statue would have been created as a funerary statue, or a ka statue. The Ka, or the “life-spark” was something only royals and nobles had, again speaking to the status of the scribe depicted. But because he is not a divine figure, he does not have the typical conventions of a pharaoh statue. The pose itself, while informal, is a typical “scribe pose”, with strong frontality as he is seated and poised to write. The face is more individualized, with the thin lips and large ears, the seated scribe could potentially portray a specific individual. While the face is more personalized, it is unknown who this scribe could be. The excavation documents were lost, and the specific location of origin is still unknown because of looting and pillaging. Some art historians believe that this figure could be “Pehernefer”, a scribe from the fourth dynasty who has been depicted with thin lips and large ears. He is also more commonly identified as “Kai”. An inscribed statue of a scribe named Kai was found in the same area of Saqqara. Many art historians contend this is the identity of the seated scribe, because the techniques used to inlay the eyes in both statues are nearly identical. Regardless of his identity, the significance of the seated scribe is apparent in the twenty-first century.
References
"Lourve" website: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/seated-scribe
"Lourve" website: http://musee.louvre.fr/oal/scribe/indexEN.html
"Smart History" website: https://smarthistory.org/seated-scribe/
"Khan Academy" website: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/predynastic-old-kingdom/v/the-seated-scribe-c-2620-2500-b-c-e
"Ancient History Encyclopedia" website: http://www.ancient.eu/timeline/pharaoh/
"Lourve" website: http://musee.louvre.fr/oal/scribe/indexEN.html
"Smart History" website: https://smarthistory.org/seated-scribe/
"Khan Academy" website: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/predynastic-old-kingdom/v/the-seated-scribe-c-2620-2500-b-c-e
"Ancient History Encyclopedia" website: http://www.ancient.eu/timeline/pharaoh/
Contributor
Nora Cheung
Files
Citation
Unknown, “Seated Scribe,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed May 3, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/10.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.