Blue Egyptian cat

In Ancient Egypt the cat was the sacred animal of the goddess Bastet. Bastet was a nationally popular deity associated with fertility and the life-giving properties of the sun. Her cult centre was at Bubastis in the Delta. The original cat, made in glazed composition often called faience, could well have been used as a decorative good luck charm. It had a lead alkaline turquoise glazed with added black spots. Roman period, 1st century AD. Copied from the original in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities.