Hippo Sculptures
Half under water, with only the eyes, ears and nostrils showing: hippopotamus figurines in mirror-polished silver, designed and finished by hand in Mexico City, some resting, some watching, one rising from the river.
Pieces from $3,860 to $8,600 MXN
No piece matches these filters.
Hippopotamus Couple Figure
$8,600.00 MXN
VAT included · Free shipping in Mexico
Hippopotamus figure in silver
$3,860.00 MXN
VAT included · Shipping $400 MXN
Emerging Hippopotamus Figurine
$4,380.00 MXN
VAT included · Shipping $400 MXN
Submerged Hippopotamus Figurine
$4,380.00 MXN
VAT included · Shipping $400 MXN
Hippopotamus figure in silver
$4,600.00 MXN
VAT included · Shipping $400 MXN
Submerged Silver Hippopotamus Figure
$4,800.00 MXN
VAT included · Shipping $400 MXN
The river horse at rest
The Greeks called it the river horse, and the name stayed. Hippos spend the day in rivers and lakes to keep cool and come out to graze at night. Their eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on the head, so they can see, hear and breathe while almost completely submerged, and they close their ears and nostrils under water.
Our sculptures take that posture as their subject. The Silver Hippopotamus Submerged Statue is a long, low, flat body that stops at an imaginary waterline, with only the broad head raised above it. A few soft creases mark the neck; everything else is smooth, heavy and bright. With no base, each hippo statue seems to float on the surface it rests on.
Resting, watching, emerging
The submerged figurines differ in how far the head rises and where the gaze goes. The Submerged Restfull Silver Hippopotamus Figurine has the ease of an animal dozing in the shallows, while the Submerged Staring Hippopotamus Figurine fixes its eyes ahead, watchful, as if something on the bank had caught its attention.
The Emerging Hippopotamus Figurine goes a step further, its snout rising out of the water as if it had just surfaced. The Silver Hippopotamus Couple Statuette changes the mood entirely: a compact, rounded group of two hippos nestled head to head, one larger than the other, the most tender piece in the collection.
From Egyptian tombs to a modern desk
People have kept small hippos close for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, little blue faience hippo figurines were placed in tombs, and one of them, nicknamed William, is a famous piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Today a hippo figurine is still a favourite with collectors of animal figures, and its rounded calm suits a desk, a bookshelf or a child's room. As hippo decor it pairs naturally with our Elephant statues and with the wider Land animal statues collection, where the river horse finds the rest of its herd.
Frequently asked questions
Why are most of these hippos shown half-submerged?
Because that is how a hippo spends its day: in the water, with only its eyes, ears and nostrils above the surface. The sculptures stop the body at an imagined waterline, so on a table or a shelf the polished surface beneath them reads as the river.
Is a hippopotamus sculpture a good gift for a child?
Hippos are a favourite gift for children's rooms and for collectors of animal figures alike. Our Sculptures for kids page gathers other animals chosen with younger collectors in mind, and an art advisor can show you any piece on a video call.
How do I care for a silver hippo?
Every piece is protected by a resistant lacquer, so a soft, dry cloth is all it needs; metal polish and cleaning agents are best avoided. Each hippo carries our lifetime guarantee covering manufacturing defects, and we ship throughout Mexico from Mexico City.