Hippopotamus

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hippopotamus statuettes made out of faience (a non-clay ceramic material) occur in four different positions: standing, walking, seated, and reclining. The surface of the walking hippopotamus here is painted with the most common decorative motif for such figurines, open and closed lotus flowers and lotus leaves. In addition a frog is depicted on each of the hippo’s hind quarters. The faience glaze has discolored over time and what was once a bright blue faded to a very light blue-green in most places. It is also damaged in several areas, especially on the back, and reveals the rough white core of the material.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art