- Museum number
- EA64391
- Title
- Object: The Gayer-Anderson Cat
- Description
-
Cat coffin, also known as the Gayer-Anderson Cat
The hollow-cast copper alloy figure is in the form of a seated cat, its striated tail wrapped around its right side. The figure has a scarab in relief on the forehead and an incised collar around the neck with inlaid details, including a wedjat eye pectoral and a silver sun-disc held by an incised winged scarab on the chest. The ears and nose are pierced and contain gold earrings and a nose-ring. The eyes are hollowed for inlays which are missing. Two tangs protrude from beneath the front paws and the tail, likely for insertion into a plinth. The figure probably originally contained the mummified remains of a cat and is now empty.
- Dimensions
-
Height: 46 centimetres (As displayed with base)
-
Height: 41.50 centimetres (object including tang)
-
Height: 34 centimetres (object without base, but not including tang)
-
Weight: 11.24 kilograms (With base)
-
Weight: 7.60 kilograms (object only; without base)
-
Width: 13.30 centimetres (Without base)
-
Width: 20 centimetres (base)
-
Depth: 30.50 centimetres (base)
-
Depth: 23 centimetres (object without base)
- Curator's comments
- Acquisition of figure referred to in Gayer-Anderson's unpublished autobiography.
Published :
N. Spencer, The Gayer-Anderson Cat (Objects in Focus), 2007.
J. Rawson, Animals in art, 1977, p.53
T.G.H James, Ancient Egypt, land and legacy, 1988, fig. 11.
J. Clutton-Brok, The BM Book of cats, 1988, p. 32.
BM Ancient Egyptian Art-postcards in full color, 1991, fig. 5.
S. Schoske, D. Wildung, Gott und Gotter im Alten Agypten, Mainz 1992, p. 152, No 4.
R.H. Wilkinson, Reading Egyptian Art, 1992, p. 62, fig. 2.
S. Quirke, J. Spencer, The BM Book of Ancient Egypt, 1992, fig. 31.
A. Ganeri, Focus on Ancient Egyptians, 1993, p. 17 (children).
I. Shaw, P. Nicholson, BM dictionary of Ancient Egypt,1995, p. 62.
Cats, BM Pocket Treasury, BMP, 1996, p. 9.
BM Pocket Treasury, 1996, p. 49.
N. Strudwick, Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt, London 2006, pp. 290-1.
- Bibliographic references
-
Shaw & Nicholson 1995 / British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (p63)
-
Strudwick 2006 / Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt (pp.290-291)
-
Ambers et al 2008 / A new look at an old cat: a technical investigation of the Gayer-Anderson cat (p.1-12, p.2, fig.1-2, p.4, fig.4, p.5, fig.5, p.6, fig.7-9, p.7, fig.10, p.9, fig.11-12)
-
Dyer et al 2014 / Polychromy in Roman Egypt: a study of a limestone sculpture of the Egyptian god Horus (p.95)
- Location
- On display (Room 4 - Egyptian sculpture, Bay 10)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1977 London, BM, Animals in Art
2007 Nov-2008 Jan, BM, Room 3, Divine Cat: Speaking to the gods in ancient Egypt
2009 Mar-May, Brent Museum, The Divine Cat
2012 23 March - 23 July, Musee Jaquemart Andre, Paris, Le Crepuscule des Pharaons
2012 8 Sept - 9 Dec, Lerwick, Shetland Museum and Archives, Spotlight loan
- Condition
- Good
- Acquisition date
- 1939
- Acquisition notes
- The register entry states:
"[Whole 1947, 7-10 collection] Presented by R.G. John Gayer Anderson and Mary Stout 1939. The cat to be to exhibited with a small plaque inscribed ' "The Gayer Anderson Cat" a gift to the Brit. Mus. from and in memory of Major J.G. Gayer Anderson Bey and Mrs Percy Stout'. For further details on the bequest see correspondence in Gayer Anderson file."
The J.G. may be in error for T.G.
- Department
- Egypt and Sudan
- BM/Big number
- EA64391
- Registration number
- 1947,1011.1
