Pair of French 19th Century Egyptian Revival Wall Lights c.1880

Pair of 19th Century Egyptian Revival Wall Lights * French 19th Century circa 1880 * Gilt Brass * Most likely a depiction of a Goddess(1) who became a cat * Converted from gas * Good clean casting * Excellent patination * W: 11cm (4.3")    H: 30cm (11.8")    D: 40cm (15.7") (1) Egyptian goddess Bastet is most associated with cats The ancient Egyptian goddess who was associated with cats was Bastet; she was originally worshiped in the form of a lioness and later evolved into a cat goddess after the domestication of cats around 1500 Bce . Bastet was the daughter of Re, the sun god, and was worshiped as a deity of fertility, sensuality, grace, and family. Bastet was often depicted as a woman with a cat’s head, carrying an ancient percussion instrument called the sistrum in her right hand and a breastplate in her left hand. Thousands of bronze statuettes of the goddess were deposited as votive offerings, and small figures of cats were also worn as amulets, which was probably related to the cult of Bastet