The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 21, 2025

Seated Scribe of Medthu

c. 1479–1425 BCE
(1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18, reign of Tuthmosis III (1479–1425 BCE)
limestone, originally painted
Overall: 30.5 x 18.9 x 24.1 cm (12 x 7 7/16 x 9 1/2 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1920.2004
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

The scribe statue has a long and distinguished history, having first appeared in Dynasty 4 (c. 2613 to 2494 BC).

Description

Medthu, the overseer of the two granaries and scribe of accounts of the fields of Amen, sits cross-legged on the ground in the traditional pose of a scribe. His striated, bell-shaped wig, the stripes of which run parallel to his forehead, completely reveals his ears and passes behind his shoulders. His short, belted kilt is stretched tight to support he papyrus that is partly unrolled across his lap. He holds the rolled-up portion with his left hand, and his right hand rests flat on the papyrus, which curls around his right thigh. The papyrus is inscribed in sunk relief with seven columns of hieroglyphs that face the scribe.
The Middle Kingdom type of wig helps date the statue more closely to the earlier part of Dynasty 18, around the time of Tuthmosis III. Later in Dynasty 18 the coiffure was fashionably updated.
  • -1920
    Unknown Dealer, Cairo, Egypt, through Howard Carter, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1920-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, Gabriel P. Weisberg, and H. W. Janson. Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1975. no. 10
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced: p. 220-221; Mentioned: p. 220-222
    Vandenbeusch, Marie, Aude Semat, and Margaret Maitland. Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art ; London : The British Museum, 2016. Reproduced: p. 164, fig. 79
  • Pharaoh: King of Ancient Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 13-June 12, 2016).
    Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Juxtapositions, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 10-October 10, 1965).
    Exhibition of the Month: Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 3-December 28, 1952).
    Publicity Campaign, State Theatre, Cleveland, OH (28 September-16 October 1922).
  • {{cite web|title=Seated Scribe of Medthu|url=false|author=|year=c. 1479–1425 BCE|access-date=21 May 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1920.2004