Figure of a Seated Cat

Late Period (Saite)–Ptolemaic Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130

Cats were considered sacred to Bastet, a powerful protective goddess thought to bring great prosperity. Generally represented as a cat or as a female with a cat’s head (see 34.6.1), she is frequently shown standing, indicating that she is alert and on guard against hostile forces. Cat statuettes were often dedicated as offerings in temples or deposited in sacred animal catacombs alongside cat mummies; larger figures could be hollow to hold actual cat remains. In this example, the cat wears an amulet in the form of a wedjat, the healed eye of Horus that was thought to ward off dangerous forces.

Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy

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Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy
Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy
Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy
Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy
Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy
Figure of a Seated Cat, Cupreous alloy

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