The Seated Scribe statue is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The sculpture is a painted limestone figure of a seated man holding a partly unrolled papyrus. He sits cross-legged in the posture associated with scribal work, with his hands positioned as though ready to write. His reed brush is missing, but the alert expression and carefully modeled fingers preserve the impression of an official waiting to record information.
The statue was discovered at Saqqara on 19 November 1850 by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. Its exact original setting is uncertain, and the identity of the individual represented is unknown. Some scholars have associated it with an official named Pehernefer, but that identification is not secure.
The statue is especially admired for its inlaid eyes, made from materials including rock crystal and magnesite, with copper fittings and dark pigment. Its relaxed, relatively fleshy body contrasts with the formal idealization often seen in royal sculpture. The work is generally assigned to the Old Kingdom, although proposed dates range from the Fourth to the Sixth Dynasty. The Louvre’s Egyptian Antiquities collection preserves this celebrated example.