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SCULPTURE OF THE GODDESS BASTET

- NICE EXAMPLE - 

Ancient Egypt, Late Period, 664 – 332 BC

Material: Bronze and Gold

Dimensions: Height 14.7 cm (with spikes 17.4 cm)

PROVENANCE: 

- Private collection L. Viola, France.
- Sold by the antique dealer Kunsthandel J. Polak on April 20, 1995 (Amsterdam) to Dr.
- E.R.M. Defever, Gistel, Belgium. Keep original purchase receipt.

CONDITION: Good state of conservation, without restorations.. 

DESCRIPTION:

Slender and elegant votive sculpture of the goddess Bastet, made of hollow bronze with the lost wax technique, represented in her animal form: a domestic cat. The feline is depicted sitting, leaning on its hindquarters, with its front legs raised, and its head raised facing forward. He has his ears pointed upwards and his tail encircles his right thigh forward. He shows an expectant position, while watching what is happening around him. This is the classic representation of him in Egyptian art.

The main characteristic of this sculpture is the finesse in its facial features, as well as the work on the decoration. In both ears you can see a small circular hole to include a pair of earrings, usually gold hoops, one of them lost. On his chest, held by a necklace of two rows of beads around his neck, is a square pectoral with the representation of the eye of Horus, the Udyat. A magical amulet associated with the god Horus, which enjoyed great popularity. It was considered one of the most powerful amulets, a symbol of apotropaic characteristics, that is, magical, protective and healing; enhanced eyesight; it protected and remedied eye diseases, counteracted the effects of the evil eye and, in addition, protected the deceased. As a talisman it symbolizes health, prosperity, the indestructibility of the body and the ability to be reborn. A dung beetle has been sculpted above the head in association with the god Khepri, a symbol of eternal life and an image of the constant transformation of existence. This elegant and magical decoration is similar to the one on the well-known Bastet in the British Museum.

The animal would be placed on a flat rectangular base, normally of the same material, although it could also have been made of wood. In the lower part of the figure you can see two spikes or terminals in a pointed shape of bronze, to insert it into the base and thus allow it to be held.

Bastet is a goddess from Egyptian mythology who is identified with the figure of cats. She is often represented with the body of a woman and the head of a cat, or simply as a very stylized full-body cat. The mission of this goddess is vague, some think that she symbolized home, joy, harmony and happiness. Others speculate that she was a deity in charge of symbolizing sexual desire, the moon, fertility, motherhood or feminine virtues in general.

The goddess had as a sister the extremely dangerous goddess Sejmet, the one who was also represented by another feline, the enraged lioness. A goddess who represented the malefic qualities of the sun. Even though Bastet was a seemingly peaceful goddess, if she got angry she could be much more angry than her sister, so it was better to keep her pleased.

Its representation as a cat is not accidental, and it is that the nature of the cat, or rather of the cats, is that of an animal of great fertility, and a protective mother with all her puppies, in addition to being nocturnal animals who are comfortable with the dark to hunt.

In the cult of the goddess, the priests chose a cat, which was worshiped and revered treating it as the very incarnation of the goddess. Every year, when spring approached, her followers celebrated the Feast of Drunkenness. In this festival, processions with images of the goddess took place, which were transported in a large boat across the Nile. When the procession arrived at Bubastis (a city consecrated to the goddess), an authentic party full of drink began in which everyone ended up harmed by alcohol and dances. The only thing that was intended was to worship the goddess so that Bastet would calm down and not pull out the sharp nails from her.

Her worship was so important that cats, the representation and incarnation of the goddess, were raised in her temples, and when they died, they were carefully mummified by burying them in specific tombs. Necropolises of this type have been found in Bubastis, Saqqara, Tanis, Beni Hassan and Thebes.

This piece has been made using the lost wax technique, a sculptural procedure by which a mold is first made from a prototype, traditionally carved in beeswax. The previous model is surrounded by a thick layer of soft material that solidifies, usually mud. Once hardened, it is placed inside a furnace, which melts the wax figure, leaving it through specially created holes, and in its place molten metal is injected that takes the exact shape of the model. To extract the final piece it is necessary to remove the mold.

Notes:

This lot is Guaranteed to be Authentic and Genuine and will include a Certificate of Authenticity.
The seller can prove that the lot was obtained legally, provenance statement seen by Catawiki.
Important information. The seller guarantees that he is entitled to sell/export this lot.
The seller will take care that any necessary permits, like an export license will be arranged.
The seller will inform the buyer about the status of it if this takes more than a few days.
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Late Period, 664 ‒ 332 BC - Unknown

Ancient Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of the Goddess Bastet. Late Period, 664 ‒ 332 BC. With TL test and spanish export license.

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Ancient Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of the Goddess Bastet. Late Period, 664 ‒ 332 BC. With TL test and spanish export license.

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