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<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)
Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)
<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_neg_37.406E_grpB_bw.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_neg_37.406E_grpB_bw.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_wwg8.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_wwg8.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_detail_PS6.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_detail_PS6.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_neg_37.406E_grpA_bw.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_neg_37.406E_grpA_bw.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_NegB_bw.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_NegB_bw.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_NegA_bw.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_NegA_bw.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_divinefelines_2013.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.406E_divinefelines_2013.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_37.356E_37.400E_NegC_bw_SL4.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_37.356E_37.400E_NegC_bw_SL4.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.418E_37.406E_NegC_glass_bw_SL4.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.418E_37.406E_NegC_glass_bw_SL4.jpg)

<em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.418E_37.406E_NegD_glass_bw_SL4.jpg)

Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.418E_37.406E_NegD_glass_bw_SL4.jpg)

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Cat with Kittens

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Although precious few Egyptian works of art, including individual figures or their faces, are perfectly symmetrical, three-dimensional groupings of figures are seldom as asymmetrical as this composition. The cat is the goddess Bastet, who could also be shown in leonine form. For more on Bastet and other "lioness-cat" goddesses, see the installations in Temples, Tombs, and the Egyptian Universe.

MEDIUM Bronze, wood
  • Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt
    • DATES ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26, or later
    PERIOD Late Period to Ptolemaic Period
    DIMENSIONS 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm) Base: 1 x 3 3/16 x 4 1/16 in. (2.6 x 8.1 x 10.3 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.406Ea-b
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Bronze group of a mother cat with four kittens on a bronze base (A) set into a wooden base (B). The cat reclines upon her left side with her legs outstretched. Her left fore and hind legs lie forward while her right fore and hind legs are drawn back. Her tail is draped over her right hind leg. Her head is upright perhaps tilted back slightly as one of the kittens, set between her forelegs, playfully climbs toward her neck. The next three kittens are being nursed by the mother cat. Two are between her fore and hind legs, the last is between the cat's tail and left foreleg. Mother cat wears a necklace which is indicated by an incised line running around her neck. A pendant? Perhaps a wadjet(?) is incised in the front of the necklace. The five felines are upon a semi-circular base with straight front and curved back. A pair of tangs below the bronze base fit into the original wooden base, also semi-circular. The wooden base was originally painted black. On the front of the bronze base toward the right side (below the cat's left paw) is an inscription "Bastet, given life". Condition: Very good. Surface of bronze is dark with few lighter patches. Very few surface scratches including one above the Mother Cat's right eye. Forepart of bronze base with dent and inscription somewhat worn though legible. Wooden base remarkably well preserved though somewhat scratched and surface irregular. Considerable amount of black paint missing.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Cat with Kittens, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 37.406E_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2013
    "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
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    <em>Cat with Kittens</em>, ca. 664–30 B.C.E. or later. Bronze, wood, 2 3/8 x 3 7/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.1 x 8.8 x 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.406Ea-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.406E_PS6.jpg)

    TAGS

    cat
    kitten
    Egyptian
    nursing
    Bronze
    wood
    Ptolemaic Period
    Egypt
    New York Historic Society Collection
    Late Period
    Bastet
    Goddess
    Female
    Deity
    Inscribed
    Statuette
    Fertility
    Dynasty 26 or later
    Late Period-Ptolemaic Period
    Reclining
    Necklace
    Incised

    TAGS

    cat
    kitten
    Egyptian
    nursing
    Bronze
    wood
    Ptolemaic Period
    Egypt
    New York Historic Society Collection
    Late Period
    Bastet
    Goddess
    Female
    Deity
    Inscribed
    Statuette
    Fertility
    Dynasty 26 or later
    Late Period-Ptolemaic Period
    Reclining
    Necklace
    Incised

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