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Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Statuette of Hippopotamus

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Statuette of Hippopotamus

Egyptian artists decorated statuettes of hippos with images of Nile flora and fauna. Common motifs included lotus buds, flowers, marsh grass, lily pads, frogs, water fowl, and insects. The legs of most statuettes were broken just before burial to ensure that they posed no threat to the tomb owner. Museum conservators restored the legs of many examples, including this one, to show how the statuettes looked when they were made.

Medium: Faience, painted
Place Made: Egypt
Dates: ca. 1938-1539 B.C.E.
Dynasty: XII Dynasty-XVII Dynasty
Period: Middle Kingdom-Second Intermediate Period
Dimensions: 7/8 x 2 1/16 in. (2.3 x 5.3 cm)
Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
Accession Number: 36.120
Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Image: Left, 36.120_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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ninakuriloff (2)
- faience
- statuette
mayotic (1)
- Photograph
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- hippopotamus

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