Lot 0019

Rare Egyptian Pottery Hippopotamus, ex-Bonhams

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Rare Egyptian Pottery Hippopotamus, ex-Bonhams

Item Details

Description

Ancient Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 11th to 13th Dynasty, ca. 2130 to 1650 BCE. An exceedingly rare, hand-built pottery hippopotamus figure standing upon a quartet of sturdy legs atop an integral rectangular plinth. The stocky body leans just slightly over the front feet while a tapered, conical head exhibits minimalist facial features and the bases of both ears. Size: 4.8" L x 2.2" W x 3.2" H (12.2 cm x 5.6 cm x 8.1 cm)

According to Egyptologist Dorothea Arnold, "The hippopotamus, Hippopotamus amphibius, must have been very common in Egypt during the earlier periods, but man's hunting pursuits and ever-increasing encroachment on the hippo's wetland environment gradually reduced the number of these magnificent beasts. The last wild hippos were seen in Egypt in the first half of the nineteenth century. The Egyptians were well aware of the phenomenal strength of the hippopotamus? [though] The awe inspired by an animal that could devastate a farmer's field overnight was tempered by the Egyptians' belief in the animal's revitalizing power. As a creature from the fertile mud, the hippo embodied divine powers guaranteeing rebirth. One might recognize this benevolent aspect of the beast in the friendly faces of many hippo figures." (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 33)

Cf. P. Lacovara. "New Date for an Old Hippopotamus." JMFAB, vol. 4, 1992; also A.S. Walker. "Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection." Mains, 1996, p. 136, fig. III, 209

Provenance: ex-Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, New York, USA; ex-private English collection, acquired at Bonhams London, May 17, 2002, lot 391

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#184943

Condition

Softening to some finer details, with chipping and abrasions commensurate with age, and losses to both ears, otherwise in great condition. Great preservation to zoomorphic form. Previous inventory label beneath base.