A CARNELIAN ‘CAT’ AMULET, BASTET, LATE PERIOD TO PTOLEMAIC ERA

Expert Note: High-quality carnelian was difficult to obtain, quarried in limited deposits in Nubia and the Eastern Desert, and prized for its translucency and saturated color. While ordinary carnelian was worked into the beads and ornaments that circulated widely in Egypt, only the finest material was selected for amulets, where clarity and brilliance carried protective force. Such use places the present amulet in an elite tradition, echoed by the rich array of carnelian jewels discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun, where the stone’s fiery hue symbolized vitality, solar energy, and rebirth in the afterlife.

Egypt, 664-30 BC. Naturalistically depicted on an integral base, the tail wrapped around its right side, its front paws are held next to each other at the end of strong, broad legs, and erect pointed ears crown the finely detailed face with incised whiskers. Neatly pierced vertically through the head. The semi-precious translucent stone is of exceptionally fine quality, displaying a mottled deep amber hue with natural white and brown inclusions.

Provenance: The collection of Miss Agnes Barclay, acquired c. 1920-1940, and thence by descent. With C.J. Martin Ltd., Specialist in Ancient & Mediaeval Coins & Antiquities, London, United Kingdom. A private collection in New York, acquired from the above in 2017 and thence by descent. A copy of an invoice from C.J. Martin Ltd., London, dated 13 June 2017, accompanies the lot. In this invoice the present lot is listed within a group of hardstone amulets made from lapis and carnelian, sold for USD 19,500 or EUR 23,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor expected wear.

Weight: 3.2 g
Dimensions: Height 2.2 cm

Amulets were, and in many cultures still are, believed to protect the living and the dead from danger or to provide them with extraordinary power. Some amulets have the same power as the object whose shape they depict (a divinity, an animal a body part, a hieroglyph, or another symbol). Some are made of materials thought to have supernatural qualities, while some derive their power from their color. It is the instructions for use that make the amulets really effective. They must be employed in a certain way, at a certain moment, and by the right person, with the relevant spells being recited. Amulets served to protect the entice person, but were also laid on various parts of the mummy's body, and associated with the gods who had those body parts under their particular care. Jewelry and amulets are difficult to distinguish functionally. A bead can have a certain amuletic value and amulets almost always worked into jewelry. There are about 300 different types of Egyptian amulets known from all periods. Some of them remained popular for thousands of years. From about 1000 BC on, the production of amulets increased dramatically, particularly their use for the benefit of deceased persons. Dozens of specimens have thus been found on and inside mummies.

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.

Bastet was also the protector of Lower Egypt and a daughter of the sun god, Ra. Therefore, she was the defender of both Ra and Ra’s representation on earth, the pharaoh. However, by the Third Intermediate Period religion was democratized and the cult of Bastet became more widespread. Numerous cat amulets made from semi-precious stones and metals have been discovered from this period onward and were likely intended to endow the wearer with Bastet’s powers of fecundity and wellbeing. Often confounded with other feline-headed goddesses, Bastet is closely linked with Sekhmet. The earliest depictions of Bastet are as a lioness which showed her to be fierce and unapproachable. She was later transmogrified to a cat and seen as a more gentle, approachable, and accessible deity.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related carnelian amulet of a cat, Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, dated 664-30 BC, 2.4 cm wide, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 10.130.2006.

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