BASTET STATUETTE IN WOOD Late Period 664-332 BC Rare wooden statuette of the goddess Bastet in the form of a seated cat; straight front legs, rounded back, tail folded forward along the right side of the animal; snout with finely worked details; he wears the usek collar painted around his neck. Bastet is one of the most important and revered deities of the ancient Egyptian religion, depicted either with female features and a cat's head or directly as a cat. It is a divinity with solar traits symbolizing the beneficial warmth of the sun, revered for its power, its strength and its agility The ancient Egyptians called the cat "myeu"; domesticated those who lived on the edge of the Nile delta, originally to eradicate the mice that infested the barns. But then, over time, there was no house or temple or building that did not register the presence of at least one cat, which was, moreover, kept with every care. When one of these cats died, the master is said to have used to shave his eyebrows as a sign of mourning for the animal and respect for the Goddess. The cult of Bastet reached such a diffusion that the cat in Egypt was protected by law. It was forbidden to harm him or transfer them outside the borders of the kingdom of the pharaohs. Anyone who violated these provisions was liable to death penalty. Although Egyptian laws forbade the export of cats, believed to be sacred animals, Phoenician navigators smuggled them. Communication to the Archaeological Superintendence of Bologna cod. 54/2013 WOODEN STATUETTE OF BASTET Late Period 334-332 BC An extremely fine wooden statuette of the goddess Bastet in the form of a cat well modeled, depicted seated on its haunches in alert position, with the straight forelegs tapering, the tail wrapped around the right side of the body, the erect head frontal on the thick cylindrical neck, with strong shoulders and rounded breast, the triangular ears rounded at their peaks, the tin eyes bulging, the face bisected by the long ridged nose, wearing a painted ornamental neck lace. Bastet was one of the most popular goddesses of ancient Egypt. She is generally thought of as a cat goddess. However, she originally had the head of a lion or a desert sand-cat and it was not until the New Kingdom that she became exclusively associated with the domesticated cat. She personified the playfulness, grace, affection, and cunning of a cat as well as the fierce power of a lioness. She was also worshiped all over Lower Egypt, but her cult was centered on her temple at Bubastis in the eighteenth name of Lower Egypt (which is now in ruins). Bubastis was the capital of ancient Egypt for a time during the Late Period, and a number of pharaohs included the goddess in their throne names. Cats were sacred to Bastet, and to harm one was considered to be a crime against her and so very unlucky. Her priests kept sacred cats in her temple, which were considered to be incarnations of the goddess. When they died they were mummified and could be presented to the goddess as an offering. The ancient Egyptians placed great value on cats because they protected the crops and slowed the spread of disease by killing vermin. As a result, Bastet was seen as a protective goddess. Evidence from tomb paintings suggests that the Egyptians hunted with their cats (who were apparently trained to retrieve prey) and also kept them as loved pets. Thus it is perhaps unsurprising that Bastet was so popular Cod. 54/2013 664-332 BC Height 28 cm, Length 13.5 cm