The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat by John Reinhard Weguelin (Interpretation and Analysis)
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| The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Today, I want to do something fun and share a painting called The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat with you. The piece was executed by English painter John Reinhard Weguelin, who can be best identified as Neoclassical painter, although there are hints of Rococo and Romanticism in his work if you ask me. Today, Weguelin is known as a painter of scenes of classical antiquity and mythology, particularly of a Greco-Roman variety.
The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat fits into the former category. It depicts an Egyptian priestess performing funerary rites for a mummified cat. Many people know that the ancient Egyptians considered cats to be sacred animals (really, can you blame them?). The cat was a symbol of protection in ancient Egypt, and all cats—even house cats—were sacred to the goddess Bastet, who was associated with fertility. Because of their religious and symbolic significance, cats were treated with respect and care in life and in death, and the museums of the world are full of carefully mummified Egyptian cats that were ritually offered to Bastet at her temple. Weguelin riffs off this reverence toward cats to create an imaginary funeral service for one such cat.
These sorts of history scenes were very popular among nineteenth century audiences. The rise of archeology as a serious scientific pursuit opened the worlds of the past to the public for the first time, fueling many Romantic and melodramatic daydreams about what life was like in places like ancient Egypt. Although The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat is an entirely imaginary scene and is necessarily ahistorical, it does reference and depict actual artifacts that were discovered in Egypt at the time.
Perhaps more importantly, the painting provides a glimpse of how Europeans understood Egypt at the time. Weguelin’s depiction of this ceremony is colored by the legacy of colonialism and shows a tendency toward Exoticism, a paradigm that Europeans used to assign fantastical stereotypes and mystique to non-European cultures.
Setting this problematic history aside, I have to admit that I find The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat to be a rather charming painting. And, frankly, an elaborate funeral service is the least a cat lover could do for a cat that shared their life with them.
Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.
These sorts of history scenes were very popular among nineteenth century audiences. The rise of archeology as a serious scientific pursuit opened the worlds of the past to the public for the first time, fueling many Romantic and melodramatic daydreams about what life was like in places like ancient Egypt. Although The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat is an entirely imaginary scene and is necessarily ahistorical, it does reference and depict actual artifacts that were discovered in Egypt at the time.
Perhaps more importantly, the painting provides a glimpse of how Europeans understood Egypt at the time. Weguelin’s depiction of this ceremony is colored by the legacy of colonialism and shows a tendency toward Exoticism, a paradigm that Europeans used to assign fantastical stereotypes and mystique to non-European cultures.
Setting this problematic history aside, I have to admit that I find The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat to be a rather charming painting. And, frankly, an elaborate funeral service is the least a cat lover could do for a cat that shared their life with them.
Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.
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