Cats have always been loved and cherished in all cultures. Artists made cats the centerpiece of their creations, be it a sculpture, a painting, or a beautiful piece of jewelry.
Cat related art, sculptures, decorative items and other objects de art and cat jewelry creation, appreciation, and high esteem, has a long and illustrious history. Egyptians, in particular, brought cat art to new heights.
Here we will speak about some of the most expensive pieces of jewelry and art depicting cats, that were auctioned at very high prices. Let us start now.
[1] 
This beautiful oil painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) is titled ‘Sara Holding a Cat’. It depicts an adorable little girl in a pink and white frock lovingly holding her little ginger kitten. The little girl is looking at the kitten, who seems very content and happy in the arms of the little girl. With a green background, the artist was able to show the loving bond between the two children. This small 16.25 inches by 13 inches painting sold for almost $2.55 million in 2012 at Christies.
[2] 
This beautiful kitty was sculpted in cast bronze by the Egyptians somewhere between 304 BC and 30 BC. It is a masterpiece of ancient Egyptians’ love for kitty cats. It is made of cast bronze and shows a kitty on a pedestal (as a kitty should be), with a curled tail, forepaws close together, graceful proportions, almond shaped eyes, well defined ears and nose, and the kitty’s mouth. It stands at 13 5/8 inches tall. This elegant piece of ancient art fetched a price of nearly $2.03 million in 2013.
[3]
A similar but quite different kitty from 332 to 330BC, also cast in bronze auctioned for $1.12 million in 2022. This kitty stands at 14 3⁄4 inches, slightly taller than the previous one. The eyes of this kitty are deeper and more defined. The ears show some damage at the top. However, what is intriguing about this kitty sculpture is the markings around the neck. The kitty had well-defined and detailed markings of many strings of necklace around the kitty’s neck, followed by a pendant marking in the middle of the cat’s chest, depicting an ‘ankh’, or an eye, to ward off evil eye from the cute kitty! This is truly remarkable!
[4] 
This beautiful Tiffany’s Winking Cat Brooch is made of gold and encrusted with multiple rubies and a green beryl eye for the functioning eye of the kitty. The back of the kitty shows a large leaf or a feather, the sign of a leader kitty! This remarkable and unique piece of Tiffany’s rare cat jewelry fetched a price of about $4572.00 in 2024.
[4] 
This beautiful oil painting of a lady holding a cat was painted somewhere in the 16th century by Ambrosius Benson (active in Bruges, Belgium 1519 – d. 1550), Lombardy, Italy. The kitten seems active and ready to jump but is held by the loving and beautiful fingers of the lady. This painting is 31¾ x 26 inches and auctioned for nearly $1.4 million in 2000.
That is it for now! Stay tuned for part 2 of this amazing series of cat art and cat jewelry!
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