Apr 25, 2007
Apr 25, 2007
Apr 25, 2007

Cat Coffin

Cat Coffin

305–30 BC

Bronze, hollow cast

Overall: 51 x 14.1 x 24 cm (20 1/16 x 5 9/16 x 9 7/16 in.)

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1917.998

Location

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A necklace appears to have been incised or scratched into the finished bronze; faint traces are visible on the chest.

Description

Although the cat is considered the most Egyptian of animals, as an object of worship the cat does not appear until late in Egyptian history. This unusually large statue of a cat was made to hold the mummified remains of a sacred cat. The coffin is, of course, hollow, with an open bottom. As usual, the animal’s tail is curled around its right side.

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