Few creatures captivate the imagination quite like the cat. From the earliest days along the Nile’s fertile banks, the Ancient Egyptians observed the elegance, agility, and protective instincts of wild cats that prowled the granaries and fields. Over time, these graceful hunters became more than companions, they evolved into powerful symbols of fertility, domestic harmony,...
Standing 24.3 cm tall, the figure depicts the goddess with arms dangling, wearing a long robe and holding an ankh, the symbol of life. The eyes, once inlaid, hint at the statuette’s original vivid detail. The statuette is crafted from stone, though the specific type is not identified in available records. Hieroglyphic inscriptions name king...
This bronze statue of a cat is a remarkable example of ancient Egyptian art. The statue, which is likely from the Late Period of Egypt (664-332 BC), depicts a cat in a seated position. The statue is often associated with the goddess Bastet, the goddess of home, fertility, and protector of the childbirth, often depicted...
A gold vase that was found with other objects at Bubastis in the Nile Delta, among the votive offering in the temple dedicated to the cat goddess, Bastet. The topmost decorative band is a frieze of lanceolate leaves that point downwards; the middle band has a motif of large drops, and the bottom band is...
This is a vessel in the shape of a cat that dates from early in the 12th Dynasty of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, 1990–1900 B.C. Made from Egyptian alabaster, the cat is sculpted beautifully and inlaid eyes of rock-crystal, lined with copper bring an eerie sense of realism to this piece. Cats held a significant and...
The statuette represents the traditional image of a seated cat, with its tail placed on the ground along the right side of the body. The eyes are inlaid with gold. One of the rock crystal pupils that once decorated the eyes has been lost. The skillful technique and delicate elaboration of the body contours and...
The Gayer-Anderson Cat, housed at the British Museum, is a stunning representation of Bastet in her domestic cat form, created during Egypt’s Late Period, (c. 664–332 B.C.). This bronze statue was acquired in the early 20th century by Major Robert Gayer-Anderson, a British collector and Egyptologist, who purchased it in Cairo. Though its precise archaeological...
Bronze head of a cat represents goddess Bastet or Bast with inlaid amber eyes and a golden scarab on its forehead, it was part of a cat-shaped sarcophagus for a cat mummy, as a sacrifice to the goddess Bastet. The little feline lived in the houses, that’s why it was associated to the goddess Bastet,...
