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LOT 0447
Romano-Egyptian Silver Ring with Bastet and Kittens
ROMAN PERIOD, 30 B.C.-323 AD.
1 1/8 in. (15.21 grams, 28.80 mm overall, 17.01 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)).
D-section hoop with lotus flowers on the shoulders, bezel formed as a reclining cat and three kittens.
ProvenanceEx London, UK collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 25, for type.
FootnotesThe cat was sacred to Bastet, a protective mother goddess and the daughter of the sun god Re. When shown with kittens, as here, Bastet's maternal role as a fierce protector of offspring is emphasised.
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