Imhotep is almost always depicted with short-cropped hair or a cap showing his ears. In this example the god has finely inlaid eyes and wears a short, striated kilt. He is seated on an elaborate chair standing on a rectangular base with a short inscription dedicated to the god by Qer… . An open papyrus scroll on his lap also bears a short inscription “Dd mdw ín ’Im-htp - Words spoken by Imhotep”.

Imhotep was the official who oversaw the construction of Egypt’s first monu- mental stone pyramid at the beginning of the III Dynasty (2650-2600 BC). The significance of this accomplishment made such an impression on the Egyptians that Imhotep was remembered and honoured in later Egyptian history. Beginning in the New Kingdom he was invoked as the patron of writing and wisdom, and by the time this statue was made, he had achieved full divine status, with his own mythology and cult. Imhotep was also invoked for his intercession in sickness and infertility, and was later equated by the Greeks with their own god of medicine, Asklepios