A SUPERB BRONZE FIGURE OF A CAT, BASTET, LATE PERIOD, DYNASTY XXVI-XXX

Expert Note: The centrally placed scarab pendant is an unusual feature on cat bronzes of the Late Period, where wedjat-eye amulets are far more frequently encountered. The scarab, symbolizing Khepri and the daily renewal of the sun, underscored themes of rebirth and regeneration, complementing Bastet’s protective role. Its inclusion suggests a deliberate emphasis on solar and cyclical forces rather than solely apotropaic protection. Such scarab pendants are comparatively rare within the corpus, lending this figure particular distinction.

Egypt, circa 664-332 BC. The votive figure is finely proportioned, the cat naturalistically rendered, seated on its haunches with forepaws neatly aligned, the tail curving forward around the proper right side and extending just beyond the paws. The head is modeled with erect ears and large convex eyes beneath contoured brows, the animal adorned with a plaited collar tied at the nape of the neck and supporting an incised scarab pendant. Two tenons below served for attachment.

Provenance: [Sotheby’s] Parke Bernet Galleries, 25 February 1971, lot 79. A private collection in Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above. The fitted base with an inventory label, inscribed ‘A155’.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Typical wear, expected rubbing, small nicks, and signs of weathering and erosion. The bronze with a naturally grown, lustrous patina with vibrant malachite and azurite encrustations.

Weight: 226 g (excl. stand), 337.5 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 9.8 cm (excl. stand, excl. tenon), 11.7 cm (excl. stand, incl. tenon), 12.6 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated acrylic stand. (2)

The seated cat was the most popular animal depicted in bronze during the first millennium BCE and accompanied the increasingly widespread recognition of sacred animal cults from the Late Period through the Ptolemaic. The house cat, as the domesticated counterpart to the wild feline, especially the lion, appears in Egyptian art at least as early as the Middle Kingdom (c. 2134-1665 BC). The male, or tomcat, was associated with the sun god, and in the New Kingdom (c. 1571-1076 BC) played an important role in the Book of the Dead as the slayer of the Apophis serpent, enemy of the sun god. In all likelihood, however, the bronze statuettes represent the female cat and are connected with a series of goddesses, in particular Bastet.

In ancient Egypt, the cat personified Bastet, the goddess of fertility, pleasure, and good health. Those hoping to conceive or seeking protection against disease would make offerings to her. This often took the form of a pilgrimage to her temple, Bubastis (modern Tell Basta near Zagazig in the eastern Delta), or Memphis to deposit votive objects. Bubastis, in addition to other Egyptian sites, became the site of a large cat cemetery, in which mummified cats were deposited as votives. Skeletal evidence suggests that the mummified cats had been intentionally killed while still young, rather than having been cherished pets that died of natural causes. Small cat figurines were often wrapped in the linen bandages of the mummified remains, which were in turn placed in bronze or wooden containers in the shape of seated cats. Many of the larger, hollow-cast bronze cats can be interpreted in this way and retain an opening into the body cavity. The majority of the bronzes, however, were dedicated in shrines.

The dedication of cat mummies and votive statues has been connected to a highly institutionalized cult of the king, which may explain the large number and standardized iconography of the bronzes. Although there is a wide variety of types preserved, most of the bronzes achieve an anatomical correctness and express the essence of cats—haughty dignity and aloofness. They assume the seated position with head held erect and tail curled along the right side as in the hieroglyphic sign. The presence of a scarab beetle placed on the forehead or a pectoral on the chest suggests the protective function and solar connection of such figures.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze cat, Late Period to Ptolemaic, dated to the mid 7th-late 1st century BC, 12 cm high, in the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1952.128.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 6 December 2016, lot 154
Price: GBP 40,000 or approx. EUR 70,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian bronze cat, Ptolemaic period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and posture as well as the similarly incised pendant collar, albeit with a wedjat-eye, and size (10 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s London, 14 April 2011, lot 137
Price: GBP 32,450 or approx. EUR 65,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian bronze cat, Third Intermediate Period- Ptolemaic period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, similar posture, and size (12.8 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 10 December 2004, lot 365
Price: USD 28,680 or approx. EUR 41,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Egyptian bronze cat, Late period, Dynasty XXVI-XXX
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, similar posture, and size (11.7 cm).

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