Cat Coffin
Description
Object Label: Some cat mummies were buried in elaborately carved cat-shaped wooden coffins covered with gold. Traces of gilding are clear on the head of this cat mummy coffin. Caption: Cat Coffin, 664–332 B.C.E.. Wood, glass, gesso, pigment, animal remains (Felis sylvestris, Felis libyca, or Felis chaus), plant materials, 24 1/4 × 7 1/2 × 16 in. (61.6 × 19.1 × 40.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1946Ea-b.
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
The image shows two small, human-sized stylized felines (cat statues/coffins) in a seated or kneeling posture on rectangular bases, photographed against a light background. Each figure is rendered in a blocky, statue-like form with a raised head and pointed ears, consistent with animal burial/art objects.
Two separate feline figures are shown side-by-side: left figure seated with forepaws held close and a short tail tucked; right figure shown seated/kneeling with a more upright torso and a visible facial muzzle/neck form. Both have pointed ears and appear to be formed from a dark core with lighter surface areas where coating/paint (if present) is lost or abraded. The bases are rectangular and integrated with the animal form, suggesting coffin- or reliquary-like construction rather than free-standing sculpture. No clearly legible hieroglyphs, cartouches, or textual inscriptions are visible on the visible surfaces in this image; surface marks and tool scratches are present but not identifiable as specific signs. No Greek/Coptic/Arabic text is visible. The overall surface appears weathered/fragmentary with areas of missing finish, consistent with an older coated object photographed in black-and-white.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.1946Ea-b tier-2
- BKM-Object 118450 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- 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.