Votive Hippos in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Votive (probably) Hippo

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. Worshipers at the festival probably either left these objects as votive offerings or acquired them as keepsakes.

This text refers to these objects: 70.93.2; 70.93.3

Medium: Pottery

Place Made: Egypt

Dates: ca. 2081-1700 B.C.E.

Dynasty: XI Dynasty-early XIII Dynasty

Period: Middle Kingdom

Dimensions: 3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 2 15/16 in. (9.6 x 14 x 7.5 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 70.93.3

Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Text from: brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3795/Votive_pro...