The Seated Scribe Description Essay Sample

The Seated Scribe Description Essay Sample The Seated Scribe Description The seated scribe sculpture is a famous work of art of ancient Egypt that is now in Louvre in Paris. The sculpture is made of painted limestone and represents a figure of a man in a seated position that is likely to be a scribe at work. He is sitting cross-legged which was the most common working position for scribes. The sculpture is dressed very simply in a white kilt that partially supports a rolled papyrus scroll that he is holding in the left hand. We can suggest that the scribe must have been holding a brush in his right hand but now it is missing. The scribe’s face has realistic features that contract to a less detailed body. His hands, fingers, and fingernails are modeled in a remarkably realistic and delicate way. He keeps his hands in a writing position. The most striking feature of the seated scribe is his face and, in particular, his eyes which are modeled with many realistic details. The eyes are inlaid and each of them is made of a piece of red-veined white magnesite, which has a piece of slightly truncated rock crystal placed inside. The crystal is carefully polished from inside. At the back side, the crystal was covered with some organic material which provides color for the iris and, at the same time, this material serves as a kind of adhesive. The entire eye was held in the socket by two copper clips that are welded on the back side. The line for eyebrows is painted with organic black paint. The scribe has a soft slightly overweight body with a broad chest. The statue’s nipples are marked with stubs made of wood. We can suggest that the scribe is well-off and he does not have to work physically. He has some fat and it looks like he lost some muscle so we can also suggest that he is middle-aged. He must have been of a high status. The expression of his face is attentive as if he is ready to work. He is staring at the viewer and waiting for someone to start speaking. His both hands are on the laps. The sculpture looks very human and very natural. The general impression is that he looks alive. The stature always makes a great impression on visitors who see it for the first time. The statue was found in 1850 in Saqqara by French archeologist Auguste Mariette. The exact place where the statue was found remains unknown because the original documents that contained information about the excavation were lost. The site where the excavations had been made was later pillaged and ransacked so no information about the statue identity is available. Some researchers suppose that the seated scribe could be linked to Pehernefer who was a high official at the time of the beginning of the 4th dynasty and who was the owner of statues discovered at the same time. The Seated Scribe was most likely made around 2450â€"2325 BC. Scientists think that the statue was made for the afterlife. Many high-ranking officials had their servant depicted as sculptures to serve them in the afterlife. The scribes were trained since childhood and respected because very few people could read and write at that time. They were well-paid as well. Scribes were necessary for organizing everyday life in ancient Egypt. They kept documents of the operations of the state at all levels. Scribes worked as tax collectors, managed personnel in trading, mining, and war. They were needed for projects like building pyramids and organized communication between rulers of ancient Egypt and the people.