Depicts King Pepi I kneeling and offering nu-pots, ritual vessels that held milk or wine. A king would kneel only before a god, so this statuette must have been placed before the statue of a deity in a temple. Inlaid eyes of black and white stone set in copper rims enhance the finely carved figure. The hole above Pepi’s forehead originally held a uraeus-cobra, probably metal, signifying royalty.
This limestone plaque is finely carved in low relief, featuring the head and shoulders of a king facing right. On the king's head is the Red Crown associated with Lower (northern) Egypt; an exquisitely detailed ceremonial beard has been strapped to his chin. The king is bare-chested, although some clothing might once have been added in paint.

Deshret was the formal name for the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and for the desert Red Land on either side of Kemet (Black Land), the fertile Nile river basin. When combined with the Hedjet (White Crown) of Upper Egypt, it forms the Pschent (Double Crown), in ancient Egyptian called the sekhemti.

Stylized state name (Arab Republic of Egypt) divides denomination in Arabic and English and abbreviation of state name (A.R.E.) below, the date in Arabic (Hijri) and Western (Georgian) divides by a vulture with open wings. Engraver's initials (ECC) below.

In Ancient Egypt, the vulture hieroglyph was the uniliteral sign used for the glottal sound (/ɑː/). The bird was held sacred to Isis in ancient Egyptian religion. The use of the vulture as a symbol of royalty in Egyptian culture and their protection by Pharaonic law made the species common on the streets of Egypt and gave rise to the name "pharaoh's chicken".