Egyptian Gallery Egyptian mummified cat (tactile)
Synopsis
Origin unknown; 395-30 BC; mummified cat in linen bandages; 30 cm high by 8 cm wide and 7 cm deep.Animals associated with deities were regularly mummified in the later periods of Egyptian history. The cat is associated with the goddess Bastet. The cat mummy is tightly wrapped in many layers of overlapping wrappings. It has a head in the shape of a cat and a body shaped like a long cylinder with a flat bottom. The ears stick up from the head and the eyes have been added on top of the wrappings and look a bit like buttons eyes sewn in place through the centre.
The tactile image is about the same size as the actual mummy and is shown in outline infilled with a texture. Further lines show some of the overlapping wrappings to give an idea of the patterning they make. A different texture shows the nose and mouth area that has been wrapped slightly differently to the rest of the cat. The eyes are shown as hollows with solid centres.