Artwork Page for Hippopotamus

Details / Information for Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

332 BCE–395 CE

Italy, Rome, Greco-Roman Period

Medium
bronze, solid cast
Measurements
Overall: 6.2 cm (2 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1958.100
Public Domain
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Location
103 Roman
Print
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Did You Know?

The word hippopotamus is a Greek compound word combining “horse” (hippos) and “river” (potamos).

Description

This hippopotamus steps forward with its rear left leg lifted off the ground and its head arched upwards. The hippopotamus was a Nilotic animal associated with Egypt and the Nile River that was brought to Rome and put on display in the Colosseum as part of venationes, or wild beast hunts. The rise of “Egyptomania” in the Roman Empire surged under the emperor Hadrian (reigned AD 117–38). Extant Egyptian examples of hippopotamus figurines are less animated and made of materials such as stone or pottery rather than bronze, making the pose and materiality of this object distinctly Greco-Roman.
A dark brown bronze sculpture depicts a hippopotamus standing on four short, thick legs, head tilted upward. The rounded body tapers toward the rear. Small, rounded ears and circular eyes mark the head, which ends in a blunt snout. The rough, pitted surface shows patches of green and reddish-brown oxidation. Small indentations define the feet, and the solid, heavy form stands on a smooth, neutral surface.

Hippopotamus

332 BCE–395 CE

Italy, Rome, Greco-Roman Period

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