About this lot
Description
A bronze model cat [Bastet], probably Egyptian late period 640-322BC,
the encrusted body with recess between the ears for a scarab (missing) and recessed eyes which would have been inset, the underside with two tangs, mounted on a basic pine stand
18.5cm high excluding tangs
Property of a deceased estate, Suffolk.
Footnote:
Bastet was an a Egyptian ancient goddess worshipped in the form of a lioness and in later periods a cat, native to the Nile River Delta, she also had a cult in Memphis; bronze statues were also used to contain the bodies of mumified cats
Condition report:
Overall the surface is quite encrusted with variations in colour and surface texture, left foot with old crack at paw, both tangs with snapped tips, empty recesses for eyes and scarab, base is a poor quality pine and the cat does not sit well.
Provenance:
The cat belonged to her [the deceased owner’s] parents. They were great collectors. Her father would have picked it up. He was a journalist with BBC radio and travelled all over the world. He may have got it during WW2, he was in the navy. He was Maurice Brown. No paperwork provided.
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