Cat figurine

Votive offerings are figurines that were dedicated to a god by believers. In exchange, the donor would expect the god concerned to grant a specific favour. In the Late Period, numerous votive offerings were made as mass products. Large numbers have been preserved, most of them bronze figurines. This one depicts a seated cat. It wears a chain with a pendant around its neck and has pierced ears. Some votive figurines have been found with gold earrings. Although the places of origin of most bronze votive offerings are unknown, it is a fair assumption that many of them came from the major centres of veneration of the gods they represent. The cat goddess Bastet was mainly venerated in the city of Bubastis, but large numbers of cat mummies have also been found in Saqqara and elsewhere.