Statuette of a hippo goddess, probably Taweret

A hippopotamus supplies much of this figure’s outline, but the body combines several creatures. Human, lion and crocodile features join the hippo in an image made to frighten dangerous beings away. The goddess probably represented here is Taweret, a protector of pregnant women and childbirth. The pale blue surface has its own history of interpretation. The figure was once described as glass. Pools of glaze around the feet and a slightly grainy texture instead suggest glassy faience, a ceramic material with a glass-like surface. Its careful workmanship and unusually good condition have also led scholars to propose a temple setting, possibly a sanctuary connected with divine birth. Its original home remains uncertain. Look again at the mixed animal body. See how the maker fitted its different features into one upright, watchful figure.