An ancient Egyptian silver amulet of the goddess Bastet in the form of a cat. The deity is portrayed sitting on a flat base, with her forepaws together and tail wrapped around her legs. Her features are rendered in a naturalistic manner. The amulet features a suspension loop to the back. The piece shows some signs of ageing such as tarnishing. Amulets were popular in Ancient Egypt, and were worn by the living or buried with the dead. The common word for amulet in the dynastic period was mkt, which means protector: amulets were designed to protect their owners. The goddess Bastet was considered to be the daughter of Ra, the sun god, and was originally shown with the features of a lion up until about 1000 BC when she started being portrayed as a cat or human with a cat head. Bastet amulets would have been worn particularly by women not only to place themselves under her patronage, but also in the hope that the wearer might be endowed with the goddess’ fecundity. Measurements: L 0.7cm x W 0.5cm x H 1.2cm Weight: 1.57g Provenance: Ex French collection formed in the 1920’s