Green Faience Hippopotamus

$35.00 at de Young Museum.

This special handmade hippopotamus statue is crafted from polymer resin and hand-painted with a green faience-inspired finish. Made in Cairo, Egypt, it comes packaged in a box adorned with printed hieroglyphic designs. In ancient Egypt, faience hippos were associated with themes of life, regeneration, and rebirth. These meanings were layered, drawing from both the natural behavior of hippos and the symbolic decoration of the statuettes. When placed in tombs, they were believed to provide the deceased with…