Hippo (large)

Sometime after the end of the Twentieth Century, surviving the threatened Y2K end of civilization as we knew it (or at least, the pleasures of anytime, everywhere computing), I began a series of square-bodied bronze animals that continues to this day which I refer to collectively as my Square Menagerie. The very first animals were African––a lion, several elephants, giraffes–and eventually, a small hippo. I loved the idea of having it poking up out of a jungle lake, mouth agape, surrounded by swirling water. I liked it so much that I built this second version, twice as large. The larger scale emphasizes both the size of the animal and the fun of the pose.

Created in wax and hand-cast in bronze, it emerges 7″ from a 16″ circular base of Uba Tuba marble (isn’t that about the best name for anything ever?) with a built-in turntable hidden below.