Cat
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Period
- Late Period, 664–332 BCE
- Date
- 664–332 BCE
- Material
- Bronze
- Classification
- Metalwork, sculpture
- Collection
- Ancient Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 313
- Dimensions
- 14 3/8 x 5 3/4 x 11 1/8 in. (36.5 x 14.6 x 28.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 5:1938
NOTES
This cat was a gift made to the goddess Bastet. It would have held an additional item: a small cat mummy. Through an opening at the underside, the mummified cat would have been placed inside the object’s hollow body. Bastet was a protective deity, and gifts such as these were deposited by worshippers at her temple, either as a token of thanks or as an appeal to the goddess for good fortune.
Provenance
- 1913
G. Dattari, Alexandria, Egypt
1913 - 1920
Brummer Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA, purchased from G. Dattari [1]
Private Collection, New York, NY, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [2]
by 1937 - 1938
Brummer Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, purchased from private collector [3]
1938 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from Joseph Brummer of Brummer Gallery, Inc. to Mr. LaBeaume, dated December 20, 1937 [SLAM document files].
[1] The cat was on exhibition in Cologne, Germany in 1914, where it was sequestered, then returned to Brummer in 1920.
[2] Shortly after the cat returned to Brummer, he sold it to a New York collector. This same collector then sold it back to Brummer by 1937.
[3] See note [2].
[4] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, March 3, 1938.
G. Dattari, Alexandria, Egypt
1913 - 1920
Brummer Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA, purchased from G. Dattari [1]
Private Collection, New York, NY, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [2]
by 1937 - 1938
Brummer Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, purchased from private collector [3]
1938 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Brummer Gallery, Inc. [4]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is a letter from Joseph Brummer of Brummer Gallery, Inc. to Mr. LaBeaume, dated December 20, 1937 [SLAM document files].
[1] The cat was on exhibition in Cologne, Germany in 1914, where it was sequestered, then returned to Brummer in 1920.
[2] Shortly after the cat returned to Brummer, he sold it to a New York collector. This same collector then sold it back to Brummer by 1937.
[3] See note [2].
[4] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, March 3, 1938.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.