William

"William", also known as "William the Hippo",[1] is an Egyptian faience hippopotamus statuette from the Middle Kingdom, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it serves as an informal mascot of the museum. Found in a shaft associated with the Upper Egyptian tomb chapel of "The Steward, Senbi", in what is now Meir, William dates from c. 1961 BC – c. 1878 BC, during the reigns of Senusret I and Senusret II.[2] This 20 cm (8 in) figurine in Egyptian faience, a clay-less material, has become popular not only for its endearing appearance but also because his defining characteristics illustrate many of the most salient facets of craft production in ancient Egypt during this time.

William is only one of several objects associated with the tomb of "The Steward, Senbi", which was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum in 1917. According to the Museum's Bulletin from that year, this hippopotamus is a "particularly fine example of a type found, in common with various other animal forms, among the funerary furnishings of tombs of the Middle Kingdom" and also an exemplary piece of Egyptian faience.[3] William may be seen in Gallery 111 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Year c. 1961 BC – c. 1878 BC
Medium Egyptian faience
Dimensions 11.2 cm × 7.5 cm × 20 cm (4.4 in × 3.0 in × 7.9 in)
Location Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City