Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · statue

Hippopotamus figurine

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

Stone hippopotamus figurine shown in left-facing profile, supported on a low base.

The image depicts a small carved hippopotamus figure with an open-mouthed or slightly parted jaw and simplified facial features. The animal’s head is turned to the left; the eyes and nostril/muzzle details are incised or lightly carved. The body is rendered in a smooth, rounded mass with short, indicated legs. The figurine sits on a rectangular, stepped base that extends slightly beyond the animal’s feet. No clear hieroglyphic text or cartouches are visible on the visible surfaces. No painted decoration is apparent; surface wear, minor chips, and pitting are present.

daily life Late Period (ground-truth from catalogue) good
Materials travertine (egyptian alabaster)

Connections

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q96148565 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 20.2.25 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 544101 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
  • Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
  • Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.