Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) · statue
Cat Coffin
Description
Ancient Egyptians dedicated animal coffins like this wooden example in temples, tailoring the enclosed mummified animal to one that had a specific connection with the deity whose favor was sought. The mummified animal’s soul acted as a messenger between the human and divine realms, seeking resolution to issues such as illness or crimes committed against its dedicator. The feline form of this empty coffin suggests that it was presented to Bastet, a goddess revered for her motherly qualities who often assumed the form of a cat or cat-headed woman.
Connections
Deities
Bastet
Cross-references (1)
- ARTIC-id 5522 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.