Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat
Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat

Egyptian Bronze Seated Cat

17541

$3,750
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 Late Period, ca. 664–332 BCE

A compelling solid cast bronze figure of a seated cat, sacred to the goddess Bastet, the patroness of home, fertility, motherhood, and joyful protection whose principal cult center was at Bubastis in the eastern Nile Delta. The cat is modeled in the canonical Late Period pose: upright, alert, with forelegs straight, hind legs neatly tucked, tail curled forward along the right flank to touch the forepaws, the animal's graceful silhouette, erect pricked ears, slender neck, and calm forward-facing muzzle capturing the dignity for which these Bastet bronzes are celebrated. Surface details of the eyes, whiskers, and mouth are softened by an overall richly mottled cupreous patina of deep green, turquoise, and cuprite-red, with scattered pustular deposits and earthen encrustation consistent with long burial. Such bronzes were produced in large numbers during the Late Period and Ptolemaic era as votive offerings deposited at Bastet's temples, often accompanying mummified cats dedicated by pilgrims.

Dimensions: H. 2-3/8 in. (6 cm), bronze figure; overall 3 in. (7.6 cm) H. with modern custom-fitted wood display base.
Condition: Intact and stable; natural cupreous patina and deposits consistent with ancient burial; surface slightly abraded in places, details softened by corrosion; mounted to the wooden base by a small metal pin.

Published studies of the popular Bastet bronzes note a heterogeneous group that includes freestanding statuettes, coffin fittings, and zoomorphic heads comparable in scale and casting technique to the present specimen, all fulfilling the function of materialized prayers and offerings to the goddess.

Provenance: Ex. Dr. Hans Halter, Switzerland, collected before 1966.
 

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

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