Gayer-Anderson Cat Necklace, Silver

Created exclusively for the British Museum: a handmade sterling silver necklace with an Egyptian Cat pendant. <br> <br> The design is inspired by the Gayer-Anderson cat: a cat sculpture in the British Museum that originates from ancient Egypt. The sculpture is probably a representation of the cat-goddess Bastet, who the ancient Egyptians viewed Bastet as the daughter of the sun god and as a protector of mothers. <br> <br>The necklace has been created by Ortak - specialist jewellers based in the Orkney Islands, Scotland - using traditional silversmithing techniques. It forms part of an exclusive range based on masterpieces of the British Museum collections. <br> <br>Ideal as a gift. <br> <br> <a href="http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset- viewer/figure/0AGz5rhMtxdjvA" target="_blank" title="Read more about the Gayer-Anderson cat here" class="linkarrow">Read more about the Gayer-Anderson cat here<span class="arrow"> </span></a>

Created exclusively for the British Museum, a handmade sterling silver necklace inspired by the Gayer-Anderson Cat. 

The necklace has been created by Ortak, specialist jewellers based in the Orkney Islands, Scotland using traditional silver smithing techniques. It forms part of an exclusive range based on masterpieces of the British Museum collections.

The Gayer-Anderson Cat is a sacred temple cat sculpture from the Late Period of ancient Egypt. The regal and highly decorated bronze statue wears gold earrings and a gold nose ring. Her silver breastplate is decorated with the sacred eye of the god Horus, beneath which is an ornamental scarab and silvered disc. The cat represents the goddess Bastet and is named after Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson who donated the cat to the British Museum in 1939. Cats were highly revered in ancient Egypt and were often found in temples as Bastet’s representative.

Ideal as a culturally-inspired gift.