Egyptian Pottery Cat w/ Nursing Kittens - TL Tested

About Auction

Live

Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

View Full Catalog (472)

• Lot Description
  Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 712 to 343 BCE. A charming and rare model of a seated mother cat with six tiny suckling kittens. Her body is elongated, with narrow legs, delineated paws, and a long, thin tail that rests against the back legs. Her head is raised, revealing applied disc eyes, a long snout, and pointed ears. Each kitten is similarly shaped, again with the long body and pointed ears, and with short tails up - you can imagine them waggling as they drink. The cat and kittens rest atop an integrated flat, rectangular platform. Size: 3.25" L x 6.25" W x 4" H (8.3 cm x 15.9 cm x 10.2 cm)
  
  The ancient Egyptians, rather uniquely among the world's civilizations, had an obsession with cats, both tame and fierce, large and small. Cats were domesticated to help protect crops from pests in Cyprus or possibly Mesopotamia (it is difficult to interpret the archaeological record on this matter for a variety of reasons), but the Egyptian love of cats seems to have gone above and beyond that of their contemporaries. The cemetery at Hierakonpolis includes a cat skeleton in a pre-Dynastic tomb (ca. 3700 BCE) that had a broken left humerus and right femur that seem to have been set by a human and allowed to heal before that cat's ultimate death. The first illustration of a cat with a collar comes from a 5th Dynasty (ca. 2500 to 2350 BCE) Egyptian tomb at Saqqara. Cats were the most frequently mummified animal in Egypt and there were multiple feline goddesses, including the domesticated cat-form Bastet. Bronze statues like this one may have been direct offerings or appeals to Bastet; they appeal to the cat's fertility and tender motherly care, while her pose with ears up emphasizes her alertness and ability to protect her young.
  
  This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.
  
  For similar examples in bronze see no. 93 in Mottahedeh, ed., Out of Noah's Ark, Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection; see also Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt, organized by Yekaterina Barbash, Associate Curator of Egyptian Art, Brooklyn Museum.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1980s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #143556

  Condition

  Repaired and restored at center, with a narrow band of added modern clay and one of the puppies in the center made of modern clay. This is well done and difficult to discern. Nice deposits on surface.
• Shipping Info

  • All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 26.50 %