Ivory Dog with Fish

This delightful hippopotamus ivory puppy, carved during the late 18th Dynasty (c. 1350–1300 B.C.), is captured in the unmistakable pose of play, with its front legs lowered, hindquarters raised, and long bushy tail curled around its body. Its floppy ears, carefully modelled features and collar, which still preserves traces of gilding, reveal the remarkable skill and keen observation of the artisan.

Ancient Egyptian Domesticated Dogs

Clenched between the puppy’s jaws is a small bronze element, from which only the tail remains visible. It is generally interpreted as the tail of a fish the puppy has just swallowed. However, the British Museum has also suggested that it could instead represent a fly about to be snapped up, adding a charming note of ambiguity to the scene.

Unlike many Egyptian objects created for religious or funerary purposes, this little sculpture appears to have been made simply for the pleasure of its owner. The British Museum notes that it belongs to a group of finely carved animal figures produced towards the end of the 18th Dynasty that were intended not for ritual use, but to delight and amuse. It offers a rare glimpse of the lighter side of Ancient Egyptian life, celebrating the companionship, playfulness and familiar antics of animals that shared the world of their human owners.

Summary:

Ivory Dog with Fish

New Kingdom, Late 18th Dynasty, c. 1350–1300 B.C.

From Thebes (Upper Egypt)

Materials: Hippopotamus Ivory, Bronze & Gilded Gold

British Museum. EA13596