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Votive (?) Hippo

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
These coarse figures stand on low bases representing sleds or sledges, possibly alluding to a ritual called The Feast of the White Hippopotamus in which a hippo was dragged on a sledge before the king. Worshippers at the festival probably either left these objects as votive offerings or acquired them as keepsakes.
MEDIUM Clay, pigment
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 2081-1700 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 11 to early Dynasty 13
    PERIOD Middle Kingdom
    DIMENSIONS 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 2 15/16 in. (9.6 x 14 x 7.5 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 70.93.3
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Votive (?) Hippo, ca. 2081-1700 B.C.E. Clay, pigment, 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 2 15/16 in. (9.6 x 14 x 7.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 70.93.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.70.93.3_erg2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, CUR.70.93.3_erg2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 10/28/2008
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     <em>Votive (?) Hippo</em>, ca. 2081-1700 B.C.E. Clay, pigment, 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 2 15/16 in. (9.6 x 14 x 7.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 70.93.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.70.93.3_erg2.jpg)