Seated Lion

Description This seated gold lioness, tail curled over the haunches, was apparently cast in one piece with the suspension loop and flat base. The inscription, deeply recessed into the underside of the base reads "Bastet, eye of Re, Mistress of the Gods," which suggests the piece was not a real seal but an amulet linked to the cult of Bastet, goddess of joy.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
10/08/1974	Treatment	cleaned

Exhibitions

• Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1979-1980.

Provenance Maurice Nahman, Cairo [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1930, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Inscriptions [Transcription] On underside of base: Bastet, eye of Re, Mistress of the Gods

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1930