The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Amulet of Bastet

Amulet of Bastet

c. 1069–715 BCE
Overall: 4.4 x 1.1 x 2.8 cm (1 3/4 x 7/16 x 1 1/8 in.)
Location: 107 Egyptian

Did You Know?

This object was in the collection of Howard Carter—the man who discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamun—until his death.

Description

Elegantly seated on a low base, its tail curled around its left side, this tiny cat, sacred animal of the goddess Bastet, is a sculptural tour de force. The front legs are carved entirely in openwork. The base, an amalgam of the hieroglyphs for "ointment jar" (also used in the writing the name of the goddess Bastet), and "protection" is admirably contoured to the animal's body. On the back is a loop for suspension.
  • -1939
    Howard Carter (1874-1939), London, England, gifted to his niece, Phyllis Walker
    1939-
    Phyllis Walker, sold to an English Private Collector
    -1973
    Sussex Armoury, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1973-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • “The Year in Review for 1973.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 61, no. 2 (1974). no. 1, p. 33 www.jstor.org
    Cooney, John D. “Three Minor Masterpieces of Egyptian Art.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 62, no. 1 (1975). pp. 14-15, figs 5-6 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 14 archive.org
    Turner, Evan H. Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.
    James, T. G. H. Howard Carter and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. p. 76
    James, T. G. H. Howard Carter: The Path to Tutankhamun. London: Kegan Paul International, 1992. p. 185
    "1992 Annual Report." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 6 (1993): 215-95. Mentioned: p. 247 www.jstor.org
    Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999 Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 532
  • Howard Carter: Before the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb. The British Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (organizer) (November 13, 1992-May 31, 1993).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Amulet of Bastet|url=false|author=|year=c. 1069–715 BCE|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1973.29