Julie was inspired by photos of Lucy's Argo taken by Jo and tracked down information on Lucy's inspiration for Argo and she found it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and here is an excerpt to it's story:
The original statuette of a hippopotamus demonstrates the Egyptian artist's appreciation for the natural world.
It was molded in faience, a ceramic material made of ground quartz. Beneath the blue-green glaze, the body was painted with the outlines of river plants, symbolizing the marshes in which the animal lived. The seemingly benign appearance that the figurine presents is deceptive.
To the ancient Egyptians, the hippopotamus was one of the most dangerous animals in their world. This example was 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. Dating from Dynasty 12, ca. 1981–1885 B.C., the sculpture has been a favorite with visitors since its arrival at the Museum in 1917, and for many years has been known as "William"—the Metropolitan's unofficial mascot.
Source:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/17.9.1
Don’t forget you can help Starship get that extra $5000 by going to Lucy’s Resene Facebook Page, liking it and if it has the highest number of LIKES of the Resene Horses (Lucy is 3rd place at the moment) Starship will get an extra $5000 for the kids on top of the auction winning bid.
Find out more about Lucy’s Argo Starship Warrior Princess on the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless Resene Horse Page