Medium: Cartonnage, animal remains (Felis sylvestris, Felis libyca, or Felis chaus), linen, pigment
Geograhical Locations:
Dates:ca. 760-390 B.C.E.
Dimensions: 9 1/2 x 6 x 35 in. (24.1 x 15.2 x 88.9 cm)
Collections:
Exhibitions:
Accession Number: 37.1991Ea-c
Image: 37.1991Ea_37.1991Eb-c_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg,
Catalogue Description: Mummified cat (c), the body and face covered with painted cartonnage (a-top; b-bottom), with a column of inscription "words spoken by the Osiris, the cat nfrHr. May he give gladness (?)..." Probably of the species Felis chaus. The cat mummy is wrapped overall with a final cross lashing of thin strips of linen. The cat has an elaborate linen cartonnage, which consists of at least 8 layers of linen. The cartonnage is gesso covered and painted in red, blue, black and yellow. The cartonnage depicts a cat face in profile with a red body. The cat is wearing a blue and white striped headdress with a blue, red and white striped collar. On the red body are painted three columns of vertical hieroglyphs. The outer two columns are grey in color and the central row is white. The hieroglyphs are simple line drawings in black. There are two rectangular patches with painted figures in profile. Condition: The cartonnage casing surrounding the mummy and the mummy are in poor condition. Both are in two parts, with the cat head having been decapitated. The cartonnage is also in two halves running the vertical length - front and back. The cartonnage is crushed, especially at the top and bottom corners. The paint is flaking overall and there are numerous losses, especially in areas of deformation of the substrate. There is some loss to the linen along the edges and sides of the cartonnage, especially at the bottom edge. There is evidence of a repair at the neck, of both the mummy and the cartonnage.