Last week, the Brooklyn Museum unveiled a long-term exhibition entitled Divine Felines: Cats of Ancient Egypt. The show only occupies a single room of the Egyptian art wing, but a surprising amount has been fit inside. It is fairly well-known that cats were the subjects of some reverence in ancient Egyptian society, though the reasons why are not clearly explained. This exhibition delves into the history of feline symbolism and its intertwinement with religious and spiritual life, an interesting angle through which to learn about an ancient culture. Cats both large and small are shown not only in decorative sculptures, but also as figures on items such as spoons, furniture legs, or amulets. Some sculptures are said to have served as cases for feline mummies; the fact that cats had burials similar to those of humans really shows their status in ancient times.
Ancient Egyptians aligned felines with the female spirit, capable of both the ferocity and aggression of a lioness and the domesticity and sweetness of a house cat. Most interesting is the way in which felines were combined with human beings and other animals, most notably snakes. Serpents are sometimes used as the tails of cats or lions, or placed at their sides as in “Striding Sphinx Finial,” which employs two cobras as protection for the sacred feline (pictured above).
You do not need to be an aficionado of ancient Egyptian culture or a crazy cat lady in order to enjoy this exhibition; the text panels do a good job of delineating the different female deities represented in the works, all descendants of the sun god, Re. Though a petite show, Divine Felines has a focus not often studied in art and is a great introduction to the Egyptian wing as a whole.
The Brooklyn Museum is located at 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.
