Egypt, Late Dynastic, ca. 664 to 343 BCE. One of the finest Egyptian bronze cats, a superb bust of the goddess Bastet in her animal form with finely delineated facial features and perky ears. The bronze boasts a beautiful green and russet patina. In ancient Egypt, the cat was associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet, whose cult was centered on Bubastis on the Nile River Delta. Bastet gained recognition and importance when its rulers rose to power and formed the 22nd dynasty, a period also known as the Libyan Dynasty. Worshippers paid tribute to Bastet with ex-voto figures such as this example. Custom stand. Size: 1.625" W x 3.125" H (4.1 cm x 7.9 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on stand

Bastet was initially a lioness goddess associated with the solar god and channeled its destructive power. However, by the early first millennium BCE, she assumed a more domestic feline form and became understood as a goddess of fertility and a guardian of the home. Ever since, statuettes comprised of various materials have characterized her as a doting mother cat. Her cult expanded decisively when her town in Bubastis (derived from per Bastet or "house of Bastet"), became the royal residence of the kings of the 22nd Dynasty, during the 10th century BCE. The city hosted an annual festival honoring Bastet in celebration of the Nile flood waters, and she was honored throughout Egypt through the first millennium BCE.

Published in J. Eisenberg, Art of the Ancient World, 2012, no. 197.

Provenance: collection of Mrs. Elias Vaes (1908-2002); Netherlands, formed between 1960-70; Kralings Museum, Rotterdam

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#123477

Chest restored. Gorgeous lustrous green and russet patina. Old accession numbers on the underside of the base.