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. In the Old Kingdom, in which this statue was created, scribes were trained as apprentices from a rather young age. 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. 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. This statue depicts one of the most important workers in a noble or royal court: a scribe. The overall impression of his facial expression is one of attentiveness: the scribe is primed to begin his duty. are Above his forehead lies a black, close-cut haircut, which covers the top and back of his head. 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. He has rather large ears, and an average-sized, yet slightly thin, nose. The scribe has a gentle smile, evidenced by his smile-lines, and his somewhat thin face showcases his strong cheekbones and jawline. His head is upright, with his chin-line parallel with the ground. He also has a conspicuous collarbone, directly beneath his average-length neck. His shoulders, sloping slightly downwards, and his arms, are both relaxed. The scribe's stomach has a roll of fat below his pronounced and slightly sagging breasts, which feature wooden nipples. 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 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 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 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. 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.
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