M0017643: Six Ancient Egyptian figures of Imhotep

Previous title, replaced October 2020: Imhotep, six Ancient Egyptian figures

Photograph of six statues of a seated Imhotep, Ancient Egyptian chancellor to Pharaoh Djoser, High Priest of Ra and physician who was deified after his death. From top left to bottom right: 1. bronze statue with gold eyes purchased in Cairo in 1933 by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R2949/1936); 2. bronze statue on an ebony based purchased at auction by the Museum in 1920 and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R72/1936); 3. bronze statue purchased by Sir Henry Wellcome in Cairo and accessioned by the Museum in 1936 (accession number R62/1936); 4. bronze statue purchased in Paris in 1919 by the Museum and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R80/1936); 5. bronze statue on an alabaster stand purchased in Florence in 1934 by the Museum and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R3726/1936); 6. bronze statue purchased at auction by the Museum at an unknown point and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R59/1936). The statues are not held by Wellcome Collection.

November 1959

2 photographs glass plate negative; 10.2 x 12.7 cm photographic print; 9.5 x 12 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession registers which provide entries for the items: R2949/1936, R72/1936, R62/1936, R80/1936, R3726/1936 and R59/1936

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2022.

Please consult the digitised version as this item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.