A tiny Egyptian Blue Faience Cat Amulet, Late Period, ca. 664 - 332 BCE

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This tiny but fabulous amulet of bright blue faience is a necklace element that originally would have been part of a broad collar necklace. It shows an upright seated cat with aler t ears on a small base, the back of the head pierced for attachment. This amulet is a depiction of Bastet, an Egyptian goddess, daughter of the sun-god Re. In ancient Egypt, she was initially depicted in the form of a lioness but was eventually modified into a cat. In this form, she was worshipped as a goddess of fecundity. Faience cat amulets first appear in the late Old Kingdom, and were intended to endow the wearer with fertility. Dimensions: Height: 10 mm (3/8 inch) Condition: Intact and in excellent condition. Provenance: Ex Dr Joseph Touma, Virginia, acquired from Christie's in 1993. Show more