Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 712 to 332 BCE. This is a small hollow bronze statue of a cat in instantly recognizable Egyptian style, with large ears and a regal, upright seated pose. The cat wears some kind of necklace or pectoral made up of small, hanging rectangles. This cat was created to evoke Bastet, the cat goddess who represented fertility and motherhood. Thousands of mummified cats and kittens were given as offerings to Bastet at temples in her honor. Beyond the goddess, cats were honored and protected in Egyptian society. Famously, Herodotus wrote that men would protect cats from fire, and that when a cat died, a household would go into mourning as if a human member of the family had died, shaving their eyebrows to signify their loss. It was immediately before this Late Dynastic Period that worship of Bastet became immensely popular, and her chief center of worship, Bubastis, became a great city, and Herodotus, visiting the city in 450 BCE, described a great festival dedicated to her. A small bronze votive figure like this one was probably sold at a temple to a worshipper. Size: 1.2" W x 2.6" H (3 cm x 6.6 cm)

Provenance: Ex - Albanese collection acquired before 1990

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#115895

Very small hole in top of the head; excellent bright green patina.