Ancient Egyptian Bronze Cat Amulet (Bastet) - 27 mm

"Ancient Egyptian Bronze Cat Amulet (Bastet)

Culture / Period: Ancient Egyptian
Date / Period: ca. 300 B.C. – 100 A.D.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 27 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside the European Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within the European Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 728
The current owner purchased this object from a reputable Dutch numismatic auction house in Schiedam, the Netherlands. Due to privacy regulations, the name of the previous owner could not be disclosed. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This small bronze amulet depicts a stylised seated cat, representing the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, one of the most widely venerated deities of ancient Egypt. Bastet was regarded as the protector of the home and family and was closely associated with fertility, motherhood, health, and domestic well-being.

Bronze cat amulets were among the most popular devotional objects during the Late Period and continued to be produced throughout the Ptolemaic and early Roman periods. They were worn as personal amulets, suspended from necklaces, or dedicated as votive offerings at temples devoted to Bastet. The perforation in this example indicates that it was intended to be worn or attached as a pendant.

Egyptian bronze workers employed well-established casting techniques to produce large numbers of amulets while maintaining recognisable religious iconography. Such objects formed part of everyday religious practice, allowing individuals to carry the protective presence of a deity in daily life. Similar amulets have been recovered from settlements, temples, and burial contexts, illustrating their widespread use across ancient Egyptian society.

Dating from approximately 300 B.C. to 100 A.D., this amulet belongs to a period in which traditional Egyptian religious beliefs remained deeply rooted despite successive foreign rule. It provides a direct and tangible connection to the ancient world, where objects of this kind served as personal expressions of faith and divine protection in everyday life."