Cat Mummy
Place made:Egypt
Culture: Egyptian
Period: Roman period
Date: 30 B.C.-A.D. 395
Medium: Cat remains, linen, pigment
Dimensions:
19 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 4 5/16 in. (49.5 × 8 × 11 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 91.80.206
Provenance: with Robert Clough, Keighley, by 1970; sold, Christie's, London, May 10, 1970, lot 261, to Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. (1921-2004), San Antonio; Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1991
Published References
Christie, Manson & Woods, Catalogue of a Collection of Antiquities including Geological Specimens, Primitive and Far Eastern Art, Classical, Egyptian and Western Asiatic Antiquities, London, March 10, 1970, lot 261.
S. M. Schellinger and J. Powers, "Sacred Beasts: Conserving the Animal Mummies in the San Antonio Museum of Art," Scribe: The Magazine of the American Research Center in Egypt (Fall 2020) 16-25.
S. M. Schellinger, “Scientific Analysis of Animal Mummies at the San Antonio Museum of Art,” in Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Science of Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies (SAEMT), eds. B. Gehad and A. Quiles (Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, 2022), 197-210.
Label Text
At some point after it was mummified, this cat was folded in half, which resulted in considerable damage to the skeleton and linen wrappings. During conservation to return the cat to its original shape, traces of fur found indicate that it was an orange tabby, many of which are male. The tomcat, one of the many manifestations of the god Ra, is shown on Middle Kingdom magical knives and in the Book of the Dead fighting the serpent Apep.
One of the most remarkable features of this cat is the painted shroud covering the front of the mummy. The pattern on this shroud mimics a faience bead-net dress, a popular covering for human mummies, particularly during the Roman Period. The cat mummy also has a red linen cloth over its head, a feature typically reserved for mummies of priests.
(Sarah Schellinger, 2018)
One of the most remarkable features of this cat is the painted shroud covering the front of the mummy. The pattern on this shroud mimics a faience bead-net dress, a popular covering for human mummies, particularly during the Roman Period. The cat mummy also has a red linen cloth over its head, a feature typically reserved for mummies of priests.
(Sarah Schellinger, 2018)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
