Cat mummy head Ptolemaic to early Roman Period

Animal Remains: Cat Mummy Head (M466). Ptolemaic to early Roman Period. Height: 11.9 cm, Width: 8.4 cm., Depth: 13.2 cm (as mounted) Linen with some black paint; traces only of cat cranium. Wrappings of head intact; animal remains mostly missing. Provenance: Purchased from NY dealer in 1995 The head section from a mummified cat. This linen mummy mask in the shape of a cat head is really a death-mask in linen as it consists of only a few layers of linen soaked in resin which have been pressed immediately over the face of the mummified cat with some features such as the nose and ears added. The linen bears painted details to the eyes and the edges of the ears. A painted strip of linen runs down the back of the neck. The opening around the neck of the piece has been trimmed and only parts of the cat cranium are extant on the inside. There is some dirt adhering to the linen and some discoloration, otherwise very fine. This lot is part of a large private collection of Egyptian antiquities a