Large Egyptian Bronze Head of a Cat
Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C. Modelled sleek and muscular in the round, the ears and eyes alert creating a dignified expression; piercings through the ears; hollow-formed; mounted on a custom-made display base. Cf. The British Museum, museum numbers EA25565 and EA64391 for comparable examples; cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession numbers 86.1.80 and 56.16.1, for similar.
629 gram total, 21.5 cm high including stand (8 1/2 in.).
Acquired from a French dealer, 1965.Swiss private collection.UK private collection, 1993.This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11838-206398. Possibly intended as a container for the mummified remains of a cat, or from a statuette of the goddess Bastet. The feline's pierced ears likely once held earrings or other ornaments. In ancient Egypt, cats were the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet; such objects were often given as donations at her temples.
[A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]