Bronze figure of a cat of Mhau made in Egypt.

Statuette

Date600-50 BC

Where associatedThebes, Egypt, Africa

MediumBronze, wood

DimensionsObject/Work: 50 x 35 mm

ClassificationsSculpture

Terms

Object numberC00488

DescriptionBronze figure of cat, seated on a modern, dark brown wooden stand. The missing legs of the figure have been replaced with carved wooden ones.

There are numerous cat statues from Ancient Egypt. The domesticated cat was most commonly associated with the goddess Bastet. Bastet is the protective aspect of the cat goddess, probably due to the fact that a cat looks after its kittens; and her cult centre was at Bubastis. Bastet's rise to importance was linked to the rise of the kings of the 22nd Dynasty, who were from Bubastis. The ancient Egyptian for cat is 'miw'.

This piece is associated with Giovanni D'Athanasi, who excavated Ancient Egyptian material for Henry Salt, the collector, traveller and British consul general in Cairo from 1815. Both Salt and D'Athanasi sold their collections to museums, particularly the British Museum.

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