Seated ("Louvre") Scribe
Title
Seated ("Louvre") Scribe
Date
2700-2200 BCE (4th - 5th Dynasty, Old Kingdom)
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Painted limestone, rock crystal, copper, wood
Height of the work
Height: 53.7 cm
Provenience
Egypt, Saqqara, north of the Serapeum sphinxes
Current Location
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Sitter Biography
The true identity of this individual is unknown- he is variously identified as "Kay," Pehernefer, or simply as the "Seated" or "Louvre" Scribe. However, he is a royal scribe of the fourth or fifth dynasties.
Description and Significance
Description:
The "Seated Scribe" of the Louvre is a frontal depiction of a half-lifesize male figure, with a red-brown painted skin tone, sitting cross-legged and erect on a thin semicircular slab of stone, and holding a roll of papyrus in his lap. The figure is nearly perfectly symmetrical, save for the poses of his hands; he is holding the scroll of papyrus using his left hand, using his outstretched thumb to hold onto the roll from above, while using his fingers to steady the scroll from below. His right hand, with elongated, delicate fingers, is posed as if he is holding a brush: he is pinching his thumb and index finger, while the rest of his hand rests on the papyrus. The papyrus rests on his kilt, which is featureless, painted white, and slopes downward from his back; the kilt is navel-high on his back, but waist-high in front. His back, similarly, is featureless. He is sitting cross-legged, with his right leg in front of his left; both legs have gently pronounced calves and kneecaps, and are missing their feet due to damage. The scribe's stomach has a roll of fat below his pronounced and slightly sagging breasts, which feature wooden nipples. His shoulders, sloping slightly downwards, and his arms, are both relaxed. He also has a conspicuous collarbone, directly beneath his average-length neck. His head is upright, with his chin-line parallel with the ground. The scribe has a gentle smile, evidenced by his smile-lines, and his somewhat thin face showcases his strong cheekbones and jawline. He has rather large ears, and an average-sized, yet slightly thin, nose. His piercing eyes, made of copper and rock crystal, are surrounded by dark blue eye-liner, and feature a light blue iris, in which is carved a circular indentation to give the impression of a pupil. are Above his forehead lies a black, close-cut haircut, which covers the top and back of his head. The overall impression of his facial expression is one of attentiveness: the scribe is primed to begin his duty.
Significance:
This statue depicts one of the most important workers in a noble or royal court: a scribe. This statue is identifiable as a scribe because of his cross-legged pose, and the attributes, the papyrus scroll and the now-missing brush, that he holds. The vast majority of Egyptians were illiterate, and thus the scribe was one of the very few people that could record royal discourse and keep track of government necessities, such as taxes. In the Old Kingdom, in which this statue was created, scribes were trained as apprentices from a rather young age. Much like the Old Kingdom statues of Hemiunu and Ka-aper, the rotundity of the Seated Scribe reflects the sitter's status as someone who is rather wealthy. Various other statues that seem to represent the same sitter have been found around the site of the Serapeum sphinxes at Saqqara, but none of them bare a true likeness to one another. This is because most Egyptian statues, especially in the Old Kingdom context of funerary statues, do not reflect true naturalism and likeness to the sitter, which some scholars claim invalidates the idea that this branch of Egyptian sculpture is true "portraiture." Instead, the statues are identified by their inscriptions rather than by their likenesses, and are usually intended to house the ka, or "life-spark" of the soul. This statue is, therefore, a vessel for the sitter's ka, and a replacement body for the deceased. However, the true context and use of the statue cannot truly be understood - the exact location of the discovery of this statue, found in 1850 by Auguste Mariette, is unknown, the original context in which the statue was placed has long been destroyed, and the true identity of the Louvre Seated Scribe is still a mystery.
The "Seated Scribe" of the Louvre is a frontal depiction of a half-lifesize male figure, with a red-brown painted skin tone, sitting cross-legged and erect on a thin semicircular slab of stone, and holding a roll of papyrus in his lap. The figure is nearly perfectly symmetrical, save for the poses of his hands; he is holding the scroll of papyrus using his left hand, using his outstretched thumb to hold onto the roll from above, while using his fingers to steady the scroll from below. His right hand, with elongated, delicate fingers, is posed as if he is holding a brush: he is pinching his thumb and index finger, while the rest of his hand rests on the papyrus. The papyrus rests on his kilt, which is featureless, painted white, and slopes downward from his back; the kilt is navel-high on his back, but waist-high in front. His back, similarly, is featureless. He is sitting cross-legged, with his right leg in front of his left; both legs have gently pronounced calves and kneecaps, and are missing their feet due to damage. The scribe's stomach has a roll of fat below his pronounced and slightly sagging breasts, which feature wooden nipples. His shoulders, sloping slightly downwards, and his arms, are both relaxed. He also has a conspicuous collarbone, directly beneath his average-length neck. His head is upright, with his chin-line parallel with the ground. The scribe has a gentle smile, evidenced by his smile-lines, and his somewhat thin face showcases his strong cheekbones and jawline. He has rather large ears, and an average-sized, yet slightly thin, nose. His piercing eyes, made of copper and rock crystal, are surrounded by dark blue eye-liner, and feature a light blue iris, in which is carved a circular indentation to give the impression of a pupil. are Above his forehead lies a black, close-cut haircut, which covers the top and back of his head. The overall impression of his facial expression is one of attentiveness: the scribe is primed to begin his duty.
Significance:
This statue depicts one of the most important workers in a noble or royal court: a scribe. This statue is identifiable as a scribe because of his cross-legged pose, and the attributes, the papyrus scroll and the now-missing brush, that he holds. The vast majority of Egyptians were illiterate, and thus the scribe was one of the very few people that could record royal discourse and keep track of government necessities, such as taxes. In the Old Kingdom, in which this statue was created, scribes were trained as apprentices from a rather young age. Much like the Old Kingdom statues of Hemiunu and Ka-aper, the rotundity of the Seated Scribe reflects the sitter's status as someone who is rather wealthy. Various other statues that seem to represent the same sitter have been found around the site of the Serapeum sphinxes at Saqqara, but none of them bare a true likeness to one another. This is because most Egyptian statues, especially in the Old Kingdom context of funerary statues, do not reflect true naturalism and likeness to the sitter, which some scholars claim invalidates the idea that this branch of Egyptian sculpture is true "portraiture." Instead, the statues are identified by their inscriptions rather than by their likenesses, and are usually intended to house the ka, or "life-spark" of the soul. This statue is, therefore, a vessel for the sitter's ka, and a replacement body for the deceased. However, the true context and use of the statue cannot truly be understood - the exact location of the discovery of this statue, found in 1850 by Auguste Mariette, is unknown, the original context in which the statue was placed has long been destroyed, and the true identity of the Louvre Seated Scribe is still a mystery.
References
Breckenridge, James D. Likeness: A Conceptual History of Ancient Portraiture, Northwestern University Press, 1968, pp. 39, 42-44.
Smith, William S. Old Kingdom Sculpture, American Journal of Archaeology Volume 45 No. 4, October - December 1941, p. 522.
Williams, Ronald J. Scribal Training in Ancient Egypt, Journal of the American Oriental Society Volume 92 No. 2, April - June 1972, pp. 214-215.
https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/seated-scribe
Smith, William S. Old Kingdom Sculpture, American Journal of Archaeology Volume 45 No. 4, October - December 1941, p. 522.
Williams, Ronald J. Scribal Training in Ancient Egypt, Journal of the American Oriental Society Volume 92 No. 2, April - June 1972, pp. 214-215.
https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/seated-scribe
Contributor
Edward Borders
Citation
Unknown, “Seated ("Louvre") Scribe,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed May 20, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/11.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.