Statue of the Scribe Maaniamen Mid-15th century BC Limestone H 37.6 cm Maaniamen is shown seated on the ground with his legs pulled up to his stomach. His body is wrapped in a cape and his hands rest on his knees. The French Egyptologist, G. Maspero, referred to statues of this type as ‘parcels with a head'. They are to be found only in Egyptian art and reflect most vividly the tendency of Egyptian craftsmen towards abstraction of form, an awareness of the totality of the work, and a sense of the indivisibility of the stone block from which the statue was made. The work dates from the reign of Amenhotep II, since the features of Maaniamen's face are similar to those found in the pharaoh's portraits. Portraits of private individuals similar in style to those of their rulers are to be found in the Middle Kingdom period.