John Weguelin
The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat

Artwork Detail
In 1889 eight illustrations by J R Weguelin, although not this image, were published in The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt, by the popular and prolific historical novelist G A Henty. The plot turns on the accidental killing of a sacred cat:
So esteemed were even the most common animals of the cat tribe that, if a cat happened to die in a house, the inhabitants went into mourning and shaved their eyebrows in token of their grief; the embalmers were sent for, the dead cat made into a mummy, and conveyed with much solemnity to the great catacombs set aside for the burial of the sacred animals.
- Title
- The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat
- Artist/creator
- Production date
- 1886
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 994 x 1425 x 85 mm
- Credit line
- Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
- Accession no
- MU/147
- Copyright
- No known copyright restrictions
- Department
- International Art
- Display status
- Not on display
To find out which artworks are available for print requests and reproduction please enquire here. This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection.