A Cat of Bubastis

Though best known for his landscapes and architectural studies of European subjects, D.Y. Cameron also created a number of delicate interpretations of ancient Egyptian artifacts he saw in Cairo’s Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Inspired by what he deemed to be a “purity of Egyptian design, ” Cameron produced austere rendering of objects isolated from their original museum setting, as in this sensitive depiction of a life-size bronze sculpture of a domestic cat. Named for its archeological origin, the title references the ancient city of Bubastis, located on the Nile River in the delta region of Lower Egypt, and known as a center for the worship of the cat goddess Bastet. Cats were revered in ancient Egyptian society, with the cat deity Bastet venerated for its attributes of maternal protection and fertility.