The Ninth

Classical music lovers be warned! This post is NOT about the Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven, often referred to as: The Ninth. For those of you not familiar with this piece of music, the ninth symphony is considered by some to be this composer’s greatest work. It is most interesting that Beethoven wrote this symphony while already being completely deaf. Another interesting fact is that this piece of music has been adapted for use as the European Anthem. Since this blog is about hippos, The Ninth in this case is the ninth hippo-painting of the collection. Mr. Monchai Kosolpradit has a shop: Cool Art, just across the shop of Mr. Pon (see post: Hippo Pon). I already noticed a very funny painting… 12 happy elephants, in all colors against a red background. I asked the artist if he could paint something similar… with hippos! No problem. Did I mind some T-shirts and shawls? I told him that was up to him as he is the artist. As you can see, he went all the way. I thought about calling this painting: Lien’s Twelve, but then I realized: The Ninth is a better name. The ninth symphony was based on a poem by Friedrich Shiller: Ode to joy! It is celebrating brotherhood, understanding and unity of all mankind. To me, this painting is an ode to joy and love for hippos, it just makes me smile, every time I see it. Ode to hippos!

      

 Monchai Kosolpradit

Hippo Widayanto

Time to confess another addiction, although not as severe as the hippo one. I love ceramics. Whether it is art objects, vases or dinner plates. Still looking for a hippo dinner set though! During our time in Indonesia, one of my favorite trips was to a  place called: Rumah Tanah Baru, Wisata Keramik, in Depok. The weekend home of Mr. Widayanto, a ceramic artist. Wonderful gardens with ceramic art everywhere, and of course a shop where you can buy pieces of his latest collection. And to my surprise, I saw the artist had made some hippos too. Some scary looking hippos I must add. I bought the one which looked least scary, going home without one was no option, obviously. Normally hippos carry hammerhead storks and cattle egrets on their backs, but the artist decided to put a cute looking frog on this one. I think it was his way of making the hippo look a little less scary..... In my display cabinet, I usually put this one with its head towards the wall, so everybody can enjoy a huge hippo-behind, with a frog catching autumn leaves.. dia ganteng sekali (he is very handsome)! Lina, thank you for providing the translation. I miss your great sense of humor and laughs a lot... but I will make sure I will come up with an excuse to keep in touch with you once in a while... with or without the help of handsome hippos!

 

Widayanto Ceramic House

William

To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was one of the most dangerous animals in their world. They not only attacked fishing boats in daily life, but one could also encounter them on the waterways in the journey to the afterlife. The hippopotamus was a force of nature that needed to be propitiated and controlled, both in this life and the next. The most famous Egyptian hippopotamus can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA). It is a gift of Edward S. Harkness, donated to the museum in 1917. For many years it has been known as "William" (due to an article by Captain H.M. Raleigh) - the Metropolitan's unofficial mascot. 

It is one of a pair found in a shaft associated with the tomb chapel of the steward Senbi II at Meir, an Upper Egyptian site about thirty miles south of modern Asyut. My dear husband bought a replica at The Met Store, together with a replica of the "Sleepy Hippopotamus", from the Norbert Schimmel Collection. 



Perfect birthday presents (2011)! Like the originals, both are decorated with drawings of lotus blossoms and marsh plants which could be found in their favorite habitat, the shallow banks of the Nile River. An interesting fact about the original "William" is that three of its legs have been restored. As William was part of Senbi's burial equipment, his legs were purposely broken to prevent the creature from harming the deceased. Luckily, "my William's" legs are all perfect, and I am proud to have a real celebrity in my collection.



Owen & Mzee

In my family, I am the only one infected with the hippo-virus. My daughters think hippos are cute, but they like horses much more. The only thing they have is an eye for anything: hippo. Sometimes they have spotted a hippo before I have, which I find very amusing. This post is about a book my youngest daughter found. She was, of course, looking for a book about horses, but saw this book about a friendship between a hippo and a tortoise. It became my favorite book! The story is about a baby hippo that lost its mum during the tsunami of December 26, 2004, at Malindi, Kenya. They rescued Owen, and gave him a new home at the wildlife sanctuary called Haller Park, a restored limestone quarry. As Owen could not be put with the other hippos in the park, they placed him in an enclosure where smaller and gentler animals lived. He immediately made friends with a 130 year old grumpy Aldabra tortoise called Mzee, “Old Man”, in swahili. Owen and Mzee are inseparable, and even developed their own “language”, of soft sounds and gestures, which wildlife experts still can't explain. Nowadays, they even have their own website: Owen and Mzee. So, please have a look and find out, not only about Mzee and Owen, but also about little Toto (another tortoise) and Cleo (short for Cleopatra), an adult hippo brought in to keep Owen company. It worried the keepers, that Owen was sometimes behaving more like a tortoise than a hippo. Cleo had been alone for a long time and needed hippo-company. Luckily they get along well, and Cleo is teaching Owen how to be a hippo. Or at least remind Owen that he is a hippo, and not a tortoise!  

Owen & Mzee, The Language of Friendship

Told by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu 

Photographs by Peter Greste

Rose, Pia & Isabel

Three’s a bloat! Of course, it should be: three’s a crowd, but speaking of a (living) unit of a group of hippos, it can be called, a pod, herd, dale or bloat. Since a few months, I am a proud member of the International Hippo Society called: Hippolotofus. As its members welcomed me warmly to “the bloat”, I decided to use that word more often, as I like the sound of it. It sounds very hippo-y. In October 2011, I had the pleasure of meeting 2 colleagues of my husband during a workshop. I had some e-mail conversations with them and spoke to them via Skype, but it is always nice to meet people in person, eventually. What I did not know is that they asked another colleague (I am sure somebody gave them a hint…. ;-)), who works in South Africa, to bring a hippo for me. And she did not bring 1, but 3 beautiful hippos! I am sure she must have thought about the fact that good things always come in threes, especially hippos.... During cleaning, or moving, the hippo’s “move around”, but I always make sure these three noses are touching each other. Dear Rose, because you had chosen them, and brought them all the way, I called the largest one after you. Pia and Isabel, thank you for arranging the best gift possible! I think Rose also brought 3, so I could name the other 2 after you both! It was so nice meeting you all that day. And even though you are all living far apart, don’t forget you are close together in a very special bloat!