Statuette of the crouching cat on a menat-shaped base

This solid-cast bronze amulet represents the seated cat form of the feline goddess Bastet, venerated in the Nile Delta, mainly in Bubastis. The crouching pose with the raised tail could represent the unrest or the tension of the animal in contrast to the peacefully sitting cat. This figure has ear piercings for earrings (the upper part of the left ear is broken off), an incised scarab on the top of its head, and a wadjet amulet hanging from its neck. The cat is crouching on a menat-shaped base. The menat necklace was held by its counterpoise and functioned as a ritual rattle. It was thought to appease the dangerous power of God, and thus it provided protection. The menat counterweight is a typical, elongated element of this ritual necklace, which is attached to the beads. The shape of this base reminds us of the menat counterweight. The statuette was fixed originally by two tenons in a ritual instrument in the temple of Bastet or was placed near a cat mummy offering to the goddess, in the necropolis of the temple (in Bubastis or Saqqara).