Image: public domain, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Hippopotamus (William)

Ancient Egypt, c. 1961–1878 BC

This little blue hippo was placed in a tomb in Egypt about 4,000 years ago. Lotus flowers are painted on its body, and it got the name William from a magazine story in 1931.

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Did you know?

He is made of faience, a ceramic of crushed quartz covered with a shiny blue glaze.
He was found in 1910 in a tomb shaft at Meir in Middle Egypt, in the burial of a steward named Senbi.
He was one of a pair of hippos placed together in the burial.
Three of his legs are modern repairs; they were probably broken on purpose so the hippo could not harm the dead.
Lotus flowers close at night and open again in the morning, so Egyptians saw them as a sign of rebirth.
Today William is the Met's much-loved unofficial mascot.

About this culture

Ancient Egyptian art flourished along the Nile for about three thousand years, from around 3100 BC until Egypt became part of the Roman Empire in 30 BC.

It is famous for pyramids and temples, majestic statues of pharaohs and sphinxes, and colorful tomb paintings of everyday life.

The artists rarely signed their work, yet they cherished small joys too, like the little blue faience hippo that visitors to the Met fondly call “William”.

Ancient Egypt ›

Where it is today: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York · Museum page