Statuette of a Seated Cat

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period

Date722-332 BCE

MediumBronze

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions5 5/16 x 2 5/16 x 3 5/16 in., 395 g (13.5 x 5.8 x 8.4 cm, 13 15/16 oz.)

Object number2018.010.736

Label TextCats in ancient Egypt were not just pets but representatives of Bastet, the goddess of fertility, and Re, as the great cat of Heliopolis. The popularity of their cults in the Late Period led to the manufacture of many bronze seated cat statuettes. The feline sits with its head held erect and tail curled to the right. The feline’s expression is attentive, with ears slightly back. The animal’s left ear is pierced with an ancient gold earring. This figurine was so highly valued that it was repaired in antiquity.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesHotel des Ventes, Avignon, Meubles Objets d'Art (22 Mai 1977), lot 47.
Melinda K. Hartwig, ed., Life and The Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 55.

ProvenanceEx coll. Capitant. Purchased by Georges Ricard (1921-2012) from Hotel des Ventes, Avignon, France, May 22, 1977, lot 47. Ex coll. Musée de l'Égypte et le Monde Antique, Collection Sanousrit, Monaco, 1977-1982. Ex coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California.

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