<em>Cat and Mouse</em>, ca. 1295–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, ink, 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.51E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth,er), 37.51E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg)

Cat and Mouse, ca. 1295–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, ink, 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.51E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth,er), 37.51E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg)

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What's this?

That's a really funny sketch from New Kingdom Egypt! Though the exact origin of this imagery is not known, scholars' best guess is that the cat serving the mouse scene comes from a fable that was popular during the 19th or 20th Dynasty. It think it's a fun departure from the typically programmatic Egyptian artwork in the galleries.

Do you know what kind of material they used to draw or paint in this sketch?

The Ancient Egyptians typically used mineral-based pigments like carbon black and ochre red. Iron oxides were also used for reds. As far as tools: reed brushes were common.

The sketches give you a window into daily life. The cat and mouse were probably just for fun, but this image of the god Osiris may have been an artist's sketch while preparing for a larger piece or just practicing.

Tell me more about this cat and mouse.

The sketch comes from a town known today as Deir el-Medina which was, in ancient times, the village of the tomb builders in Thebes. The comedic scene may illustrate a fable or may just be something fun an artist drew in his spare time.

What does 37.51E mean?

That is the object's accession number. It kind of works like an ID number for the museum. It's assigned when the object enters our collection and every piece has a different one.

Usually the first numbers, either two or four digits, tell you what year the objects became a part of our collection! The object photographed entered the museum in 1937.

Cat and Mouse

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Animals imitating human behavior were well-known in Egyptian art. Yet their meaning is uncertain.

Here, a feline funerary priest approaches a mouse with offerings. The mouse wears a lotus flower on its head, sits on a chair, sniffs a flower, and holds out a cup to be filled. The cat, standing on his hind legs, fans the mouse and offers a roasted duck and a piece of linen.

People performing these actions in Egyptian art are usually at a banquet. A cat serving a mouse might represent a humorous satire or illustrate a now-lost story.

MEDIUM Limestone, ink

Possible Place Made: Thebes, Egypt

DATES ca. 1295–1075 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 19 to Dynasty 20

PERIOD New Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.51E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Limestone ostracon with ink drawing of a standing tabby cat on the left offering a feather fan and plucked goose to a seated female mouse (right). The mouse has drooping breasts, wears a long skirt and has a flower on her forehead. She holds a dish in her right hand, and holds a flower? and cloth (often held by pharaohs) in her left hand. The cat also holds a similar cloth. The mouse is seated on a folding stool with animal legs and covered with an animal hide with the tail hanging over the edge of the stool. It is similar to numerous folding stools in XVIII Dynasty painting. Traces of white paint are on the body of the mouse. It is possibly a caricature or illustration to a current fable or perhaps a satire of the royal family. Condition: Good, several small chips on surface of the piece.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Cat and Mouse, ca. 1295–1075 B.C.E. Limestone, ink, 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.51E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth,er), 37.51E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 37.51E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph (Gavin Ashworth, photographer), 2012

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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