Writing board of an apprentice scribe

First Intermediate Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

It is clear from the awkwardly formed hieroglyphs and their uneven spacing that this is the work of an apprentice scribe who was practicing his penmanship. The writing board could be used again and again by scraping or wiping off the ink and adding a new coat of whitewash. Another writing board in the collection shows corrections made in red ink.

Writing board of an apprentice scribe, Wood, whitewash, ink

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Writing board of an apprentice scribe, Wood, whitewash, ink
Writing board of an apprentice scribe, Wood, whitewash, ink

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.