National Museum of Asian Art, East Building
Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt
October 14, 2017 – January 15, 2018
Cats’ personalities have made them internet stars today. In ancient Egypt, cats were associated with divinities, as revealed in Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt. Cat coffins and representations of the cat-headed goddess Bastet are among the extraordinary objects that reveal felines’ critical role in ancient Egyptian religious, social and political life. Dating from the Middle Kingdom to the Byzantine period, the nearly 70 works include statues, amulets and other luxury items decorated with feline features, which enjoyed special status among Egyptians. The exhibition, organized by the Brooklyn Museum of Art, also dedicates a small section to cats’ canine counterparts.
Image:Coffin for a Cat, 664–332 B.C.E., or later, Wood, gesso, paint, animal remains, Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1944Ea-b
