Fragment of a statue of a scribe holding a baboon

The sculptural fragment was originally a kneeling male figure, dressed in the distinguished festive draped costume of the Ramesside period, holding a hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) statue squatting on a high altar, i.e., a statue within a statue. The animal has a richly decorated cape, i.e., mane and mantle, its paw is resting on its knee according to the usual canon of representation, while between its two legs we can also see its male member. In this case, the upper part of the male figure, the front of the altar, the baboon’s face and the headdress with the crescent and full moon are missing. The latter would suggest the relationship of the baboons and Thoth to the moon.

This type of votive sculpture appeared among the elite in the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom. The baboon, as the sacred animal of Thoth, the god of writing and knowledge, was the protector of scribes, so the statuette may have been primarily a votive offering by a scribe to be placed in a sanctuary of Thoth, expressing both his devotion to the god and his hope of protection from him.