Egypt Museum

Cat eating fish under a chair

Facsimile of a wall painting from the Tomb of Nakht (TT52). Nina De Garis Davies (1881-1965).
Facsimile of a wall painting from the Tomb of Nakht (TT52). Nina De Garis Davies (1881-1965).

This charming image of a cat eating a fish whilst sat under the chair of a woman named Tawy, is depicted on the Western wall, southern side, within the 18th Dynasty tomb of Tawy’s husband named Nakht (TT52). The image has been documented in a facsimile by the artist Nina De Garis Davis, with all its authentic Ancient Egyptian charm.

Unfortunately, the famous scene of the cat has vastly disintegrated since first documented by Nina De Garis Davis.
Unfortunately, the famous scene of the cat has vastly disintegrated since first documented by Nina De Garis Davis.

The Egyptologists Nina M. Davies and Norman de Garis Davies were a married couple of illustrators and copyists who worked in the early and mid-twentieth century, drawing and recording paintings in Egypt. Their work was often published together, as N. de Garis Davies, and so it is usually difficult to determine who drew which illustration. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has 413 total de Garis Davies items in its collection. Of those, 157 items painted by Nina, 15 with both of their names, and 59 by Norman. The British Museum had 22 of Nina de Garis Davies’ paintings in 1936 given to the museum by Alan Gardiner.

Egyptologists Nina M. Davies (6 January 1881 – 21 April 1965) and Norman de Garis Davies (1865–5 November 1941).
Egyptologists Nina M. Davies (6 January 1881 – 21 April 1965) and Norman de Garis Davies (1865–5 November 1941).

Based upon the markings of the cat, it is thought to be a depiction of the African wildcat.

DNA evidence shows cat domestication began about 9,000 years ago in the Near East, where farming started. Farmers were probably the first people to tame wild cats and then take them on their travels, either accidently or deliberately. A second wave of cat domestication happened in ancient Egypt. – How Cats Conquered the Ancient World (BBC)

The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species. In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic farmers about 9,500 years ago and are the earliest known evidence of a close association between a cat and a human. Their proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated. Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat genetically diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (F. catus ). Crossings between a domestic cat and an African wildcat are still common today. - Animalia Bio
The African wildcat (Felis lybica) is a small wildcat species. In Cyprus, an African wildcat was found in a burial site next to a human skeleton in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B settlement Shillourokambos. The graves are estimated to have been established by Neolithic farmers about 9,500 years ago and are the earliest known evidence of a close association between a cat and a human. Their proximity indicates that the cat may have been tamed or domesticated. Results of genetic research indicate that the African wildcat genetically diverged into three clades about 173,000 years ago, namely the Near Eastern wildcat, Southern African wildcat and Asiatic wildcat. African wildcats were first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in the Near East, and are the ancestors of the domestic cat (F. catus ). Crossings between a domestic cat and an African wildcat are still common today. – Animalia Bio


Summary:
Cat feasting on a fish under the seat of Tawy, wife of Nakht
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Thutmose IV, c. 1401-1391 B.C.
Tomb of Nakht (TT52). Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, West Thebes.
Now in the Ashmolean Museum.

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