Egyptian statue - Bast cat goddess with kittens. A goddess of motherhood & joy.

Bast with kittens

Dimensions :-

Total height - 6.5 cm / 2-1/2 inches

Base length - 10 cm / 4 inches

Base depth - 7.5 cm / 3-1/8 inches.



* Combined postage offered.





On offer here is a very special representation of the goddess Bastet in the role of the mother goddess. Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone, she has an aged green patina and is mounted on a polished, felt based stand.

Background information

This type of statue belongs to a rare type produced during the late period of Egyptian history (664-332 B.C.E) and is one of the most surprisingly tender depictions of the ancient Egyptian cats.



Three kittens are suckling their mother cat while a cheeky little favourite faces it's mother with a gesticulating paw. The mothers ears are slightly swept back, stiff as if not entirely amused.

A hint of remnant hieroglyphic text can be seen on the front right hand ridge below the upright kitten.

A truly delightful replica of an ancient artifact.



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')

Late in Egyptian history during the 22nd dynasty, Bast was elevated to supreme state god by the Pharaoh Sheshonq the1st 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