Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Figured Ostracon Showing a Cat Waiting on a Mouse

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Figured Ostracon Showing a Cat Waiting on a Mouse

An ostracon is a smooth flake of stone (or, less often, pottery) that the Egyptians used instead of expensive papyrus for drawing or writing. This example of an "animal fable" vignette shows a plump, middle-aged mouse seated on an elaborate stool and holding a drinking bowl, a flower (or a fish skeleton?), and a piece of cloth. Before him stands his servant, a scrawny cat, who fans him while presenting a trussed fowl and a bolt of cloth. A number of such scenes have survived showing animals acting as humans but with their natural roles reversed. They may have illustrated popular fables, or they may have been intended as satires on upper-class life in the Ramesside Period, when almost all were made.


• Medium: Limestone, pigment
• Place Made: Thebes, Egypt
• Dates: ca. 1295-1070 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: XIX Dynasty-XX Dynasty
• Period: New Kingdom
• Dimensions: 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 37.51E
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Overall, 37.51E_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Figured Ostracon Showing a Cat Waiting on a Mouse, ca. 1295-1070 B.C.E. Limestone, pigment, 3 1/2 x 6 13/16 x 7/16 in. (8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.51E (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.51E_SL1.jpg)