Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Roaring Hippopotamus
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
Among the faience animals found in Middle Kingdom tombs, the best known is undoubtedly the hippopotamus, rendered in a variety of poses that represent this fearsome animal in its natural state, and decorated with images of the plants and animals found in its marshy habitat. Many had their legs snapped before burial, perhaps to render them harmless. The postures and the environmental elements indicate that these figurines were intended to connect the deceased with an eternal natural world.
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