Ancient Egyptian cat mummy
This cat coffin has a gilded head and is painted with a collar around its neck, a necklace holding an Eye of Horus protective amulet, and the dot-and-line pattern, denoting fur, typically used at Istabl Antar cemetery.
DNA testing of the mummy in this coffin demonstrates a direct genetic connection between ancient Egyptian cats and modern housecats.
The object is a wooden coffin of a cat containing mummified cat bones and unknown debris wrapped in linen textile. The coffin depicts a cat sitting on its hind legs with its front paws extended. The two sides of the coffin join in the center forming a join that runs down the center of the cat’s face and body. The proper left side appears to be carved out of two pieces of wood while the proper right side is made of at least three pieces. The halves are no longer attached to each other and the coffin rests on one side. A white ground was applied over the wood ( thickly in places to account for the shape of the wood underneath) and this was painted with a geometric design on the body and front legs of the cat using red, Egyptian blue, and a light yellow pigment.
Any design on the cat’s face is less clear though gold gilding is discernible on the top of the nose. The head and face are dark in color which could be pigment or dirt. The interior of the coffin holds a large linen textile wrapped oblong mummy that is very dark gray/black in color. The mummy is incomplete. It is wrapped in multiple layers of rough woven textile.The contents of the mummy are visible in holes near the foot and the head of the mummy (located in the base and head of the coffin respectively).
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