Mummified Ancient Egyptian Cat

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Greetings friend,

Shown here is my latest acquisition for my Wunderkammer Curiosity Cabinet. A genuine mummified cat recovered from the temple of Bast. Because cats were considered sacred, they were often mummified after death much like humans of the time. Their mummies were also often given in offering to Bast. In 1888, a large tomb with mummified cats and kittens was uncovered near the ancient temple, close to the modern town of Beni Hasan. This tomb had eighty thousand cat mummies, dating to 1000-2000 BCE. Sadly, in 1888 mummies did not afford the same respect they had in Ancient Egypt or today. They were sold to tourists for pennies, village children played with and destroyed many, others were ground up as fertilizer, and so forth. A few lucky mummies made it to the British museum, where they are still on display today.
And of course, there is this gem, now in my personal collection.

I will continue to update you as the Wunderkammer project grows.

Sincerely,
Professor R. Tursiart

PS: Read more about cat mummies here: [link]

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Don't worry folks. No cats were harmed in the making of this prop. It's just two brown paper lunch bags full of wadded newspaper, the ears are just cardboard cut from toilet paper rolls, taped on. I then covered the whole thing in a thin layer of paper mâché for hardness, then wove strips of muslin cloth over the top. I tea-dyed some of the muslin. The eyes are old brass buttons.


Here are some other Props I created for the Wunderkammer Curiosity Project: