"A lot of us are inclined to only see his cute side, but in fact there is a lot more to him than that."
Curator Isabel Stünkel on an Egyptian statuette of a hippopotamus (popularly called "William").
Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544227
Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world.
Photography by Mark Morosse
Subscribe for new content from The Met: https://www.youtube.com/user/metmuseum?sub_confirmation=1
#TheMet #ArtExplained #Art
The Met's unofficial mascot—this tiny hippo named William—has a bit of a dark side
"A lot of us are inclined to only see his cute side, but in fact there is a lot more to him than that."
Isabel Stünkel
2 min. watch
Contributors
Isabel Stünkel
Curator, Department of Egyptian Art
Curator, Department of Egyptian Art
More from The Met
The artist’s work challenges the social and political context of mass incarceration.
Lisa Sutcliffe
April 28
Explore how the Taiwanese artist’s Great Hall Commission invites a transhistorical conversation about the art of writing
Lesley Ma
February 28
Video
Art Mentioned
A slider containing 1 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
ca. 1961–1878 B.C.