Statue of a cat sitting upon a column capital

The bronze statue represents the seated cat form of the feline goddess Bastet, venerated in the Nile Delta, mainly in Bubastis. The cat is sitting calmly but alertly in the typical Egyptian posture on a bronze papyrus- or a lotus-shaped column. The tail curls to the right foreleg. The suspension loop is attached to the bottom of the chalice. The column stem has a pointed end. This typical plant of the northern country is a symbol of the protector goddess of Lower Egypt, Bastet and the papyrus adds the concept of regeneration and rebirth to the protective and life-giving aspects of the goddess. This small bronze object may originally have been attached to a stick, a furniture or a palanquin.