Hippopotamus figurine. The massive body, short... Lot 16

Hippopotamus figurine. The massive body, short on legs, the marked muzzle, this hippopotamus shaped in clay is part of the representations of the fauna that we find very early in the Egyptian world. They also exist in stone or earthenware. These animals living in the swamps along the Nile could symbolize the destructive force for the living or accompany the dead in their rebirth. Orange terracotta. Egypt, Middle Kingdom, c. 2033-1785 B.C. L: 13 cm Collection Helias David, sold before 1991, United States. Comparative bibliography: Hélène Guichard, Des animaux et des pharaons, le règne animal dans l'Égypte Ancienne, Lens, 2014. Bernadette Letellier, The Animals in Ancient Egypt: from 6 November 1977 to 31 January 1978, Lyon, 1977.