Art History Audio

The Box for Animal Mummies Surmounted by a Cat is a sculpture in the Met Fifth Avenue in New York City. It was created as a coffin guard for a mummified animal. The sculpture depicts a cat in a relaxed yet attentive pose, with impressive texture and detail. The cat represents the Egyptian goddess Bastet and is made of both organic and geometric elements. This piece reflects the ancient Egyptian's reverence for cats and serves as a tribute to Bastet. Today we are looking at the piece called The Box for Animal Mummies Surmounted by a Cat, inscribed in 664 to 30 BC, which is on view in the Gallery 134 at the Met Fifth Avenue in New York City. This features a sculpture depicting a cat in a resting position atop a mummy box that was designed for animals. This type of piece was very common in the late period to Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt. This isn't a traditional sculpture piece, in the sense that it was created for a very practical and spiritual purpose, rather than purely artistic creation. This sculpture atop the mummy box was intended to be a coffin guard for a mummified animal, hence the unusual name for the piece. The sculpture itself is cast out of a cupreous metal, which is impressive considering the level of texture shown by the many short markings that are etched along the body to resemble fur. There is also the cat's pose, which is one that is in a relaxed yet attentive state. We can tell that it is in an attentive state because of the facial expression, with its eyes appearing very alert despite one of the inlays missing. We can also say that the cat is in a relaxed state because of the reclined position that it is in, as it's in a casual semi-seated position. The semi-seated position of the cat also leads to the attentive nature of the cat sculpture, as the front of its body is perked up as if it is paying attention to its surroundings. When taking into context both its origin and positioning, we can assume that this sculpture is depicting a zoomorphic form of the Egyptian goddess, Bethet. Cats were considered very sacred as they were a symbol of Bastet, so they were mummified and buried in coffins when they passed. This important link to Bastet could be the reason why a zoomorphic version of her was chosen to guard the mummy box. The zoomorphic symbol of Bastet that we have here is an organic, three-dimensional figure. Here are many examples of the organic features that can be seen with the continuous curve of the cat's neck, back, and tail. Other organic elements of the cat can be seen within the face and head. The mouth is curved mostly downwards, with the corners of the mouth turned slightly upwards. There are also geometric forms found within this piece, as the cat's resting upon a rectangular coffin base. These geometric forms can also be found in the cat itself, as the legs are cylindrical in nature. All in all, these different details work together to form a fascinating insight into ancient Egyptian history and their love for cats, while also creating a beautiful tribute to the goddess of cats, Bastet.