Pregnant Hippopotamus with Crocodiles

Pregnant Hippopotamus with Crocodiles

The strange vignette of a pregnant hippopotamus with a lion's mane, similar to the goddess Taweret, with a crocodile on her back and another nipping her paw is often found in Egyptian astronomical texts in connection with the northern constellations. However, the inscription at the left on this relief makes such a setting uncertain because it mentions Hapi, the god of the Nile's inundation. The textual genre and the provenance (temple or tomb wall or part of a sarcophagus?) thus remain unknown. The relief comes from either an unparalleled astronomical scene or a tableau featuring Hapi in which the representation of the hippo was "'borrowed" from astronomical scenes. If the hippo is Taweret, then the connection with Hapi is understandable because both had strong denotations of fertility.


Broklyn Museum
brooklynmuseum.org

• Medium: Limestone
• Place Made: Egypt
• Dates: ca. 664-30 B.C.E.
• Period: Late Period-Ptolemaic Period (possibly)
• Dimensions: 14 5/16 x 13 1/2 x 2 3/4 in., 23 l