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<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_front_PS9.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_front_PS9.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.243_NegA_front_bw_SL3.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.243_NegA_front_bw_SL3.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243_wwg8.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243_wwg8.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243_divinefelines_2013.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.78.243_divinefelines_2013.jpg)

<em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.243_NegB_back_bw_SL3.jpg)

Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.243_NegB_back_bw_SL3.jpg)

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Cat (Bastet)

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

This figure probably represents Bastet, the goddess most often depicted as a cat. Feline images of her began in Dynasty XXII (circa 945–718 B.C.) and became extremely numerous in the Late Period. Like this figure, many of the finer bronze cats have a scarab on the head, a wadjet-eye on the chest, and pierced ears probably intended for loops of gold.

MEDIUM Bronze
  • Place Made: Egypt
    • DATES 664–343 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 30
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 78.243
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION One bronze figurine of a cat. A wadjet eye amulet is incised on the neck and a sacred beetle in raised relief on forehead; both ears pierced; hollow cast. Condition: Gash down right side from face to back, continuing to behind crown of head, belly and rear of front paws incrusted.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Cat (Bastet), 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)
    IMAGE 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg., 2019
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    <em>Cat (Bastet)</em>, 664–343 B.C.E. Bronze, 5 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 in. (13.3 x 4.1 x 9.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Nasli Heeramaneck, 78.243. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 78.243_threequarter_PS9.jpg)

    TAGS

    cat
    feline
    housecat
    Felis catus
    graceful
    Bronze
    Seated
    Ears pierced
    Late Period
    Relief
    Incised
    Beetle
    Wadjet Eye
    Hollow
    black cat

    TAGS

    cat
    feline
    housecat
    Felis catus
    graceful
    Bronze
    Seated
    Ears pierced
    Late Period
    Relief
    Incised
    Beetle
    Wadjet Eye
    Hollow
    black cat

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