Amunhotep, Son of Nebiry
Description
Object Label: The Egyptians valued learning and literacy above all other skills, including physical strength and military prowess. Men who mastered reading and writing were frequently represented as scribes: sitting cross-legged with inscribed papyrus rolls in their laps. Some examples, such as this one, show the subject with his head gently inclined as if reading the papyrus. So-called scribe statues were first produced in the Fourth Dynasty (circa 2625–2500 B.C.E.). Originally only princes were permitted to appear in this form, but as access to schooling increased over time, scribe statues became relatively common. The subject of this sculpture, a man named Amunhotep, held several priestly and administrative offices Caption: Amunhotep, Son of Nebiry, ca. 1426–1400 B.C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 25 3/8 × 14 15/16 × 14 3/8 in., 206 lb. (64.5 × 37.9 × 36.5 cm, 93.44kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.29E.
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A seated scribe statue holding a scroll.
The artifact is a finely carved limestone statue depicting a seated scribe. The figure is shown with a scroll on his lap, suggesting an administrative or scholarly role. The artistic style includes characteristic features of ancient Egyptian statues, such as a serene expression, detailed hair, and a formal posture. Notable features include hieroglyphic inscriptions on the scroll and base.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.29E tier-2
- BKM-Object 3940 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.