Mummy of a Cat

Artist Unidentified

Period Roman Rule (Ancient Egyptian, 30 BCE–395 CE)

Period Roman Empire (Ancient Roman, 27 BCE-395 CE)

Dynasty The Julio-Claudians (Ancient Egyptian, 27 BCE–68 CE)

Place of OriginPossibly from the Temple of Bastet, Sakkara, Egypt

Dateabout 50 CE

Dimensions14 1/4 × 2 3/8 × 2 3/4 in. (36.2 × 6 × 7 cm)

MediumCat remains, linen, pigment

ClassificationMummies and Mummy Cases

Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Scheble

Object number

1903.1

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThe mummy is about 10 inches long and carefully wrapped in linen, some of which was interlaced in a decorative geometric pattern. Pigment is present on the wrappings, especially near the head. The wrappings are mostly intact but fractured, with some loss and crushing, especially around the midsection and face. The object was stabilized with crepeline and secured in a custom-made acid-free support structure.

Label TextAnimals sacred to gods were piously mummified, just as humans were. The Egyptians mummified millions of cats, birds, fish, crocodiles, and other animals, burying them in catacombs and cemeteries near the temples of the gods being honored. Because of the huge numbers, many Egyptologists believed the standard treatment was of low quality, but recent study suggests the mummification techniques used for animals were as elaborate as those used for the best-preserved human bodies. This mummified cat was the first object (as opposed to painting) donated to the Toledo Museum of Art.Published ReferencesMcMaster, Julie A., The Enduring Legacy: A Pictorial History of the Toledo Museum of Art, Superior Printing, Warren, OH, 2001, repr. (col.) p.11.

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 85, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Unseen Art of TMA: What's in the Vaults and Why?, September 12, 2004 -January 2, 2005.

Toledo Museum of Art, The Mummies: From Egypt to Toledo, February 3- May 6, 2018.