What is the name of the ancient Egyptian seated scribe statue in the Louvre?

The ancient Egyptian seated scribe statue in the Louvre is called The Seated Scribe.

This painted limestone sculpture shows a man sitting cross-legged with a partly unrolled papyrus on his lap and his hands positioned as if ready to write. Its alert face and carefully modeled fingers give it an unusually vivid presence, especially compared with the more formal style of many royal Egyptian statues.

The work dates to Egypt’s Old Kingdom, although its exact dynasty remains debated. It is generally placed around the mid-third millennium BCE and was discovered at Saqqara in 1850 by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. The figure’s identity is unknown; “The Seated Scribe” describes the subject rather than naming the person portrayed.

Visitors sometimes confuse it with a “standing scribe” or assume that every Egyptian statue depicts a pharaoh. Scribes were educated administrators who could serve the palace, temples, and state. The statue’s striking eyes use inlaid materials, including rock crystal and magnesite, helping create its famous lifelike gaze.