© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.

ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Figure of a Cat

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period, Dynasty 26

Date664-525 BCE

MediumBronze

Credit LineCharlotte Lichirie Collection of Egyptian Art

Dimensions2 3/4 x 13/16 x 1 3/4 in. (7 x 2.1 x 4.5 cm)

Object number1999.001.043

Label TextThe cat was honored throughout Egyptian history as both a pet and a domestic guardian, keeping the household free of pests. In addition, the cat was associated with the goddess Bastet, who often appears with a human body and feline head. The primary cult center of Bastet was located at Bubastis (modern Tell Basta), where enormous numbers of mummified cats have been discovered within the temple precinct.

In the Late period and thereafter, sacred animals were bred, mummified, and presented as offerings in temples before being buried in special necropoleis. The coffins for these mummies took two forms: a narrow box with a figure of the animal on the lid or a box in the shape of the animal itself. This diminutive example is not large enough to hold even a kitten and probably sat atop a small wood or bronze coffin. Tangs for attaching the figure to the box are preserved below the front paws and the tail.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - 2006
Hall of Ancient Egypt, The Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, Texas, August 2014 - Present
Published ReferencesPeter Lacovara and Betsy Teasley Trope, The Realm of Osiris (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2001), 67.

ProvenanceEx coll. Niagara Falls Museum, Niagara Falls, Canada. Purchased by MCCM from William Jamieson (1954-2011) [Golden Chariot Productions], Toronto, Canada.

Status

Not on view

Collections