Bronze cat tags2/29/2024 Ingersoll recalled, “She inspired us to see everything that was to be seen” (p. In his memoirs, Recollections of a Philadelphian at Eighty, Ingersoll reminisced on how his own interest in collecting art was sparked: his mother, “a wonderful, inexhaustible traveler” would take her children to galleries and museums all over Europe. Ingersoll was President of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1948-1964 and Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Governors from 1947-1959. This cat once formed part of the notable collection assembled by Robert Sturgis Ingersoll (1891-1973). Mummified cats were dedicated to her and buried at her temples, often enclosed in containers of wood or bronze. Cats became the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, whose main cult center was at Bubastis in the eastern Delta. By the New Kingdom, they had become household companions, as seen on tomb paintings and reliefs, sometimes seated under their master's chair or on board marsh boats, presumably serving to flush out birds for their masters. The earliest surviving three-dimensional depiction dates from that period and served as a cosmetic vessel (now in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, see no. 438).Ĭats came to be appreciated in ancient Egypt at least as early as the Middle Kingdom, likely for their mouse-hunting abilities. Berman, Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art, p. Malek, The Cat in Ancient Egypt, frontispiece Berlin: G. Other large examples include the famed Gayer-Anderson Cat, now in the British Museum, and examples in Berlin and Cleveland (For BM: see J. Given the larger dimensions and superb quality of the cat presented here, it must surely also rank amongst the most impressive examples to have survived.īronze cats of similar scale are recorded in only a handful of museum collections. Frantz consider it to be “one of the finest cat bronzes known” (“A Tale of Two Kitties,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 55, no. Further embellishments include the incised multi-strand broad collar with a wadjet-eye pendant suspended below from a cord.Ī close parallel can be found at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, slightly smaller in scale but with similar modeling and ornamental adornments including the broad collar with a suspended wadjet-eye pendant. Tufts of hair are incised in rows on the interior of the alert ears, both pierced for now-lost earrings, presumably of gold. The large eyes are recessed for now-missing inlays, with the lids and inner canthi accented, once further imbuing it with a lifelike qualities. This cat sits upright in the standard pose with the tail curving forward along the proper right side. Of particular note here is the naturalistic modeling that allows the cat to come to life through form and expression. While Egyptian bronze cats range in size and quality, so rarely do they capture the majesty and dignity of the species as gracefully as the life-size example presented here. "Forget the story," said the man.This magnificent cat belongs to a small but important group of large-scale bronze feline sculptures. $150.00 for the story," said the salesman. The man returned to the shop where he bought the cat. All the cats jumped into the river too and were drowned. "To heck with this" he said to himself and threw the bronze cat into the river. As he got to the Brooklyn Bridge he turned to see thousands of cats behind him. The further he walked the more cats seemed to follow him. On turning around he noticed there were a couple of cats following him. The man left the shop with the cat in his pocket.Īs he walked down the street he heard a strange mewing sound. "Very well, but you will be back," said the salesman. "Well" said the man, "its just like it says, $30 for the cat and $150 for its story". The man was very curious and asked the salesman to explain. On looking around he noticed a very strange looking bronze cat which had a tag on it saying, "Bronze Cat $30.00, Story $150.00". If you have an interesting or unusual item, send or forward it toĪs he wandered the streets he stopped at an antique shop and decided to go in.
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