Sacred Cat of Bast

between 7th and 6th century BCE

On View

Egyptian: Daily Reverences, Level 1, West Wing

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About the Artwork

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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About the Artwork

The Sacred Cat of Bast is associated with the goddess Bast or Bastet, and she was sometimes represented as a human figure with the head of a cat. The natural grace, and perhaps the motherly qualities of the cat, suggested to the Egyptians some aspect of the goddess.

Title Sacred Cat of Bast

Artwork Date between 7th and 6th century BCE

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Egyptian

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Cast bronze

Dimensions Overall: 13 × 4 1/2 × 10 7/8 inches (33 × 11.4 × 27.6 cm) Overall (base): 2 3/4 × 4 1/2 × 10 7/8 inches (7 × 11.4 × 27.6 cm) Overall (object): 10 3/8 × 3 1/4 × 6 inches (26.4 × 8.3 × 15.2 cm)

Classification Metalwork

Department African Art

Credit Gift of Mrs. Lillian Henkel Haass and Miss Constance Haass

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 31.72

Markings

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Provenance

1931-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

Mehmet Aga-Oglu. "A Group of Egyptian Sculpture." Bulletin of the DIA XIII, 3 (December 1931): pp. 27-28, 60. (ill.).

Master Bronzes selected from Museums and Collections in America. Exh. cat., Albright Art Gallery. Buffalo NY, 1937, cat. 49 (ill.).

Small Bronzes of the Ancient World. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, March 23-April 20, 1947, cat. 21, pp. 7, 20 (ill.).

Treasures of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 1960, p. 20.

Ibid. 1963, p. 20.

Ibid. 1966, p. 23.

Peck, William H. "The Present State of Egyptian Art in Detroit." Connoisseur. (December 1970): pp. 271-272 (ill.).

Family Art Game. DIA Advertising Supplement, Detroit Free Press. May 20, 1979, p. 11 (ill.).

Image and Artifact. Exh. cat., Detroit Insitute of Arts. Detroit, 1984, cat. 29, p. 8 (ill. front cover).

Family Art Game. DIA Advertising Supplement, Detroit News. April 29, 1984, p. 6 (ill.).

Peck, William H. "Egypt at the Detroit Insitute of Arts--A History of the Growth of the Collection." KMT 2, 3 (Fall 1991): p. 16 (footnote 16).

____________. The Detroit Insitute of Arts--A Brief History. Detroit, 1991, pp. 86, 109 (ill.).

Family Art Game: Looking to Learn. DIA Advertising Supplement, The Detroit Free Press. April 26, 1992, p. 22 (ill.).

Henshaw, Julia P., ed. A Visitors Guide: The Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 1995, p. 108 (ill.).

Capel, Anne K. and Glenn E. Markoe, eds. Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven. New York, 1996, p.139, no. 68a.

Romano, James F. In the Fullness of Time. Hallie Ford Museum of Art. 2002, p. 34 (ill. and cover).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

This work is in the public domain.

Egyptian, Sacred Cat of Bast, between 7th and 6th century BCE, cast bronze. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mrs. Lillian Henkel Haass and Miss Constance Haass, 31.72.