  
  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
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  Life Dates
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  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  &Atilde;&#151; 4 1/2  &Atilde;&#151; 10 7/8 inches (33 &Atilde;&#151; 11.4 &Atilde;&#151; 27.6 cm)
  Overall (base): 2 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 4 1/2 &Atilde;&#151; 10 7/8 inches (7 &Atilde;&#151; 11.4 &Atilde;&#151; 27.6 cm)
  Overall (object): 10 3/8  &Atilde;&#151; 3 1/4  &Atilde;&#151; 6 inches (26.4 &Atilde;&#151; 8.3 &Atilde;&#151; 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&acirc;&#128;&#153;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&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  31.72
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
