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Lot 4A
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Egyptian Wood Artifacts - Ushabti + Bastet (Cat Form)
Egyptian Wood Artifacts - Ushabti + Bastet (Cat Form)
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Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292 to 1189 BCE; Ptolemaic to Roman period, ca. 305 BCE to 1st century CE. An impressive pair of wooden sculptures from Ancient Egypt: an ushabti and the goddess Bastet in the form of a cat. The ushabti stands in the traditional mummiform position with arms folded at chest and head draped in a tripartite wig, its surface enveloped in deep brown pigment. Alternatively, the cat is seated on its haunches surmounted by a pair of prominent pointed ears. Most cat statues of this type served as containers for cat mummies. Because this statue is solid, it must have functioned differently, perhaps as a temple offering. A scarab, symbolizing the morning sun, was frequently placed in the recessed area between the ears of such cats, perhaps an artistic interpretation of the stripes on a cat's fur. Size of larger (ushabti): 1.3" L x 2.3" W x 9" H (3.3 cm x 5.8 cm x 22.9 cm)

Shabti (or ushabti) dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing traditional ancient Egyptian headdresses. The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, their spirits would have to work in the "Field of Reeds" owned by the god of the underworld, Osiris. This meant doing agricultural labor - and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs.

In ancient Egypt, the cat was associated with the Egyptian goddess Bastet, whose cult was centered on Bubastis on the Nile River Delta. Bastet gained recognition and importance when its rulers rose to power and formed the 22nd dynasty, a period also known as the Libyan Dynasty. Bastet was initially a lioness goddess associated with the solar god and channeled its destructive power. However, by the early first millennium BCE, she assumed a more domestic feline form and became understood as a goddess of fertility and a guardian of the home. Ever since, statuettes comprised of various materials have characterized her as a doting mother cat. Her cult expanded decisively when her town in Bubastis (derived from per Bastet or "house of Bastet"), became the royal residence of the kings of the 22nd Dynasty, during the 10th century BCE. The city hosted an annual festival honoring Bastet in celebration of the Nile flood waters, and she was honored throughout Egypt through the first millennium BCE.

Provenance: private Durham, North Carolina, USA collection, acquired circa 2000

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#189784

    Condition:
  • Cat has had front legs reattached with break lines and adhesive visible, as well as some stable fissures to body. Both have age-expected nicks, chips, and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, ushabti is intact and both have liberal remains of pigment and rich patina throughout.

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by Artemis Gallery
November 1, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Ave., #108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Gallery

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