A moon god, inventor of astronomy, mathematics and writing, spokesman of the gods and keeper of their records, Thoth usually holds the reed pen and palette of the scribe. He is the lord of wisdom and magic.

Several images of Thoth were referred to when composing this painting; these included one from the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, and one from the tomb of Prince Amun-kher-khopsh, the son of Rameses III. The Book of the Dead was also a useful reference. Thoth is portrayed in the act of painting his own picture and writing the hieroglyphs. The Egyptian artists used a square grid as an aid to obtaining the correct proportion of figures. Some wall paintings still bear traces of these grids.

The name Thoth is the Greek version of the Egyptian name Djehuty.

Translation of the hieroglyphs;

Dd mdw in DHwty aA.wy nb mdw-nTr Ss mAa n psD.t nb xmnw nTr n grH pt

Words spoken by Djehuty, Twice Great, Lord of Divine Words, Just Scribe of the Company of the Gods, Lord of the Ogdoad, God of the Night Sky.

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