The Gayer-Anderson cat

Description

Art Egypt

(ca. 600 BC)
Although other goddesses sometimes manifested themselves as cats, Bastet is seen as the most important cat goddess. In the complex system of Egyptian gods, the daughter Osiris and Isis formed a trinity with Hathor and the vengeful Skhmet, both negative opposites of Bastet. Bastet was credited with the power to summon solar and lunar eclipses. Through the lunar cycles she was associated with fertility. The celebrations in honor of Bastet were so cheerful that she was also worshiped as the goddess of song, dance and music. The Gayer-Anderson cat is named after the British officer and collector who donated the bronze statue to the British Museum in 1947. The cat was probably found in Saqqara or Giza near one of the animal cemeteries, and dates back to the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC).

Height: 27cm