4705 - Egypt, Roman Period, a bronze musical instrument, sistrum, ca. 1st century BCE – 2nd century CE;a bronze ritual instrument surmounted by Bastet, depicted as a nursing mother cat with two kittens, wearing a sun disk crown; on the lower sides of the sistrum are two heads in low relief, possibly portraying a bearded Silenus. The sistrum was used during the Old Kingdom period in rituals honoring the mother goddess Hathor; the sound it produced was meant to mimic the rustling of papyrus reeds. In later periods, it was also used in rituals for the cat goddess Bastet. Height 20.4 cm, width 13.8 cm, on a custom-made stand. Provenance: Private collection, Belgium; Kunsthandel Mieke Zilverberg, Amsterdam; private Dutch collection, Wassenaar, Holland.

Egypt, Roman Period, a bronze musical instrument, sistrum, ca. 1st century BCE – 2nd century CE;a bronze ritual instrument surmounted by Bastet, depicted as a nursing mother cat with two kittens, wearing a sun disk crown; on the lower sides of the sistrum are two heads in low relief, possibly portraying a bearded Silenus. The sistrum was used during the Old Kingdom period in rituals honoring the mother goddess Hathor; the sound it produced was meant to mimic the rustling of papyrus reeds. In later periods, it was also used in rituals for the cat goddess Bastet. Height 20.4 cm, width 13.8 cm, on a custom-made stand. Provenance: Private collection, Belgium; Kunsthandel Mieke Zilverberg, Amsterdam; private Dutch collection, Wassenaar, Holland. Published in the Pan Amsterdam catalog, 2004. Ref. M. Raven et al., *Brons uit de oudheid*, Amsterdam 1992, p. 43. Egyptian Museum Berlin, Berlin 1984, pp. 120–121 [1]