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Egyptian

Hippopotamus, 2040-1638 BCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Hippopotamus

Year

2040-1638 BCE

Medium

Faience

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • Egyptian faience

Dimensions

7.8 x 5.2 x 20.3 cm (3 1/16 x 2 1/16 x 8 inches)

Type

  • Material Culture

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

29.119

Projects & Publications

Publications

Gifts of the Nile, Ancient Egyptian Faience

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Gifts of the Nile

August 26, 1998 - January 3, 1999

Ancient Egyptian Galleries

The bright blue color of this hippo seemingly contrasts with the naturalistic modeling of its face and ears. By using blue glaze and covering the hippo's body with images of plant and animal life, the artist represented the animal in its habitat and evoked both the Nile River and the primeval waters of the god Nu, suggesting themes of life and rebirth. The Egyptians' wish for life after death may account for the inclusion of hippo statuettes in tombs of officials during the Middle Kingdom.

The placement of hippo figures in tombs, sometimes in direct contact with the mummy, required that the animal's dangerous aspects be negated so that the deceased would not be physically harmed. To ritually restrict this hippo's movement in the afterlife, its legs-now restored-were broken off.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Hippopotamus with the accession number of 29.119. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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