Egypt 100 Pounds 1989

History

100 Pounds 1989, KM# 656, Egypt, Pharaonic Treasure / Ancient Egyptian Art, Gayer-Anderson Cat

Obverse. Photo © Numismatic Guaranty Company

Description

The Gayer-Anderson Cat is an ancient Egyptian statue of a cat, which dates from the Late Period (around 664–332 BC). It is made of bronze, with gold ornaments.

The sculpture is known as the Gayer-Anderson cat after Major Robert Grenville Gayer-Anderson who, together with Mary Stout Shaw, donated it to the British Museum. The statue is a representation of the female cat deity Bastet. The cat wears jewellery and a protective wadjet amulet. The earrings and nose ring on the statue may not have always belonged to the cat. A scarab appears on the head and a winged scarab is shown on the chest. The statue is 42 cm high and 13 cm wide. A copy of the statue is kept in the Gayer-Anderson Museum, located in Cairo.

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Cat Art (sculpture, painting etc.) Statue Deity (god, goddess etc.) Bastet Depicts a full view of the Gayer-Anderson Cat. Cats in ancient Egypt were represented in social and religious practices of ancient Egypt for more than 3,000 years. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat. Cats were praised for killing venomous snakes and protecting the Pharaoh since at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. Skeletal remains of cats were found among funerary goods dating to the 12th Dynasty. The protective function of cats is indicated in the Book of the Dead, where a cat represents Ra and the benefits of the sun for life on Earth. Cat-shaped decorations used during the New Kingdom of Egypt indicate that the cat cult became more popular in daily life. Cats were depicted in association with the name of Bastet.
Reverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Vulture Stylized state name (Arab Republic of Egypt) divides denomination in Arabic and English as well as the date in Arabic (Hijri) and Western (Georgian) calendars. Mintmark (FM) and abbreviation of state name (ARE) below. 1989 ١٩٨٩ 100 ١٠٠ Pounds جنيه جمهورية مصر العربية FM A.R.E.
Edge	Reeded (milled)