Ca. 664-30 BC. Late Period - Ptolemaic Dynasty. A stone amulet of a cat. The cat is seated on a rectangular plinth, with its rear legs crouching and its front legs outstretched. Its body is covered in incised striations to mimic fur, and it is topped with a broken suspension loop. The head is turned to its right, and its facial features are delicately worked. Cats were extremely important to the Egyptians and were symbols of the goddess Bastet. This importance may have stemmed from their value in ridding the home of vermin. They were so important that during the Late Period people would buy mummified cats to give as offerings to the goddess, and supposedly the Persian invasion of Egypt was enabled by the Persians painting cats on their shields or carried actual cats at the Battle of Pelusium to make the Egyptians unwilling to attack. Size: L:38mm / W:45mm ; 45g. From a London private family collection; formerly acquired on the UK art market in the 1960s - 1970s; thence by descent.