Bronze Statuette of a Cat

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Late Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 600 B.C.

Material: Bronze

Dimensions: 11.7 cm high (including tenon)

Price: Sold

Ref: 1607

Provenance: From a German private collection, at least since 1990, as indicated by the mounting. Sold at Gorny & Mosch in Munich on 16 June 2011, lot 440. Subsequently, in the Belgian collection of L.L.

Condition: Intact, with a reddish-brown patina.

Description: An elegant and finely crafted bronze statuette of a seated cat, most likely representing the goddess Bastet. The animal sits upright, resting on its closely aligned front paws. The slender body, with its delicate proportions and accentuated spine, rests on its hindquarters, with its hind legs tucked. Particularly noteworthy is the unusual curve of the tail. Unlike most Egyptian bronze cat figures, the tail on this statuette winds around the left side of the body and extends well beyond the forepaws. Incised details added after casting further emphasise the tail. The cat’s head is raised, with alert eyes gazing straight ahead. The eyes, mouth, and nostrils are engraved. The ears are erect and finely grooved on the inside. Between the ears, a scarab symbolising rebirth, is engraved on the forehead. A necklace composed of diamond-shaped links holds a pectoral in the form of the Eye of Horus (Udjat eye) in front of the chest, which symbolises protection and healing. The long tenons, by which the statuette was set into its ancient base, are still preserved on the underside. Today, they are mounted into a modern trapezoidal stand dating to the 1990s.