Enigmatic Relief
ca. 664–30 B.C.E.
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Object Label
The subject of this relief is uncertain. The image of a pregnant hippopotamus with a lion’s mane is similar to the goddess Taweret. This goddess, with the addition of a crocodile on her back and another nipping her paw, is often found in Egyptian astronomical texts in connection with the northern constellations.
However, the inscription at the left names Hapi, the god of the Nile’s inundation, who has nothing to do with the stars. Perhaps the strong denotations of fertility of both Taweret and Hapi hold a clue to the meaning of the scene.
However, the inscription at the left names Hapi, the god of the Nile’s inundation, who has nothing to do with the stars. Perhaps the strong denotations of fertility of both Taweret and Hapi hold a clue to the meaning of the scene.
Caption
Enigmatic Relief, ca. 664–30 B.C.E.. Limestone, 14 5/16 x 13 1/2 x 2 3/4 in., 23 lb. (36.4 x 34.3 x 7 cm, 23 lb.). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 70.2. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Frequent Art Questions
What is the significance of crocodiles in Egyptian art? Do they symbolize anything in particular?
Because they lived in the Nile river, crocodiles are a prevalent figure in Egyptian art (since they were a common animal).Egyptians would worship the crocodile God Sobek which is associated with the Nile and the annual flood (and also with pharaonic power, fertility, and military prowess, but served additionally as a protective deity, invoked particularly for protection against the dangers presented by the Nile river). Crocodiles could also represent animals kept in the temple precinct, which were seen as manifestations of thebau, or powers, of the god. The image you are looking at, however, (the pregnant hippopotamus with a lion's mane, similar to the goddess Taweret, with a crocodile on her back and another nipping her paw) is often found in Egyptian astronomical texts and is connected with the northern constellations.
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