Egyptian cat statue - Bast / Bastet - Goddess of music, dance, hunting and protection

Bast statue

Dimensions -

Height - 14.5 cm / 5-3/4 inches

Base length - 11.2 cm / 4-1/2 inches

Base width - 5.2 cm / 2-1/4 inches

* Combined postage offered
* Included with the statue is an atmospheric collector card featuring a late 1800's musem scene. Cabinets of curiosities with an emphasis on Egyptian art are a feature of this charming picture.



On offer here is a fine replica statue of the Egyptian cat goddess Bast. What is exceptional about this statue is not only the regal pose, but the base it rests upon. This curved base is quite rare when compared with the multitude of Egyptian cat statues that had no base at all. This one has a hieroglyphic text that can be seen encircling the entire base, neatly positioned between an incised border.

The figure itself wears a broad bead necklace and her tail is segmented with decorative bands. All extra details are a mark of a high status supplicant that would have commissioned the statue.



Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone the statue has been given a well developed, aged green patina with a light polish. A felt lined underside has been added to protect your furniture.

Background information



Mythology- Certainly a very popular figure in ancient Egypt from the earliest times when the domestic cat proved a worthy advantage to have protect the hard won food stuffs of the ancient pantry or temple storehouse. By dynasty number 2 she was already known and revered before a single pyramid was built. In the pantheon of Egyptian divinity she was both wife and a daughter of Ra the sun god. She had a son named Maahes who had the body of a man and the head of a lion wearing an Atef crown. (See listing -'miniature Osiris wearing Atef crown') If available.

Late in Egyptian history during the 22nd dynasty, Bast was elevated to supreme state god by the Pharaoh Sheshonq the 1st and her sacred town of Bubastis in the delta region of the Nile became capital. Her temples across the land were enriched including Thebes which was the home of Amun. All gods co-existed but from time to time a change would shake the status quo into a new direction. Usually politically motivated.

The attributes of Bast are in many ways similar to Hathor with music, dance and all manner of light hearted activity associated with her. She even shakes a Hathor sistrum when depicted as a womanly figure with a feline head. She could of course be shown as just a cat without the human features. The ancient public would commission people like myself to make for them a statue or at least a votive head, to place in a temple as an offering to the goddess.