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The cat in antiquity -

In this Thebes wall painting dated back to 1350 BCE, Nebamun, a middle-ranking ancient Egyptian official, is seen hunting birds with his wife and daughter. Note the cat with a hapless heron in its mouth.

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Roman cat -

A cat is depicted catching a partridge in this Roman mosaic, dated back to 200–150 BCE. The feline also has its eye on two unsuspecting ducks.

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'Barber Shop with Monkeys and Cats' -

Flemish painter Abraham Teniers (1629–1670) created 'Barber Shop with Monkeys and Cats' around 1660. It in, monkeys are serving cats, who are their masters.

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'My Wife's Lovers' -

This extraordinary canvas depicting 42 of American millionaire Kate Birdsall Johnson's Turkish Angora cats was painted by Austrian artist Carl Kahler (1855–1906) in 1891. Johnson (1833–1893) owned a staggering 350 cats.

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'Le Chat Noir' -

Swiss-born French Art Nouveau supremo Théophile Steinlen (1859–1923) had a great affection for cats. His 'Le Chat Noir,' painted in 1896, is an especially celebrated work of art, advertising a tour by entertainers with the famous 19th-century Le Chat Noir nightclub in Paris.

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'Julie Manet' -

'Julie Manet,' also known as 'Child with Cat,' was painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) in 1887. The slightly pained expression of the sitter contrasts with that of the contented look of the cat. Renoir included cats in many of his paintings as a symbol of motherhood and sensuality.

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'Two Cats' -

'Two Cats' was painted by German artist Franz Marc (1880–1916) in 1912. Marc was celebrated for his brilliantly colored animals—horses, dogs, and, of course, cats.

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'Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony' (detail) -

The 'Triptych of The Temptation of St. Anthony' is a 1501 oil painting on three wooden panels by Hieronymus Bosch (1450–1516), having the form of a triptych. Look closely. On the right panel you see a cat hissing at a woman who is trying to tempt hermit Anthony with her naked body. Back in the day, cats were often depicted as emblems of the devil, and this one, with its horn-like ears, looks suitably fierce and evil.

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'Studies of Cats' -

A page from the 'Studies of Cats' drawn by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) late in his life.

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'The Bride and Groom' -

English artist Louis Wain (1860–1939) was best known for his drawings and paintings of anthropomorphized , or human-like, large-eyed cats and kittens.

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'Cat and Bird' -

Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism influenced the work of Swiss-born German artist Paul Klee (1879–1940). 'Cat and Bird' dates back to 1928 and features a watchful feline with a heart-shaped nose that has a bird set between its eyes.

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'Woman with a Cat' -

Another Renoir painting featuring a feline, 'Woman with a Cat' was painted in 1875.

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'At the Café (Madame Ginoux)' -

Look carefully and you'll spy the tiny black and white cat sitting at the foot of a billiards table in Paul Gauguin's 'At the Café (Madame Ginoux).' It was painted in 1888 while Gaugin (1848–1903) was sharing lodgings in Arles with Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890).

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'Proverbs Illustrated by Cats' -

In 1852, Japanese artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798–1861) produced his 'Proverbs Illustrated by Cats,' another example of Kuniyoshi's command of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting, of which he was a master.

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'Portrait of Miss Lily Walton' -

An artists' model who herself became a painter, Suzanne Valadon (1865–1938) specialized in mostly female nudes, female portraits, still life, and landscapes. Her 1922 'Portrait of Miss Lily Walton' includes a ginger cat with hypnotic eyes.

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'A Merry Party' -

Inquisitive and playful, kittens are simply adorable. This canvas, painted by Dutch-Belgian artist Henriëtte Ronner-Knip (1821–1909) in 1892 features three little cats enamored by an empty wicker basket.

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'Woman with a Cat' -

French painter Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) was a pivotal figure in the transition from impressionism to modernism. He applied his bold use of color to landscapes and urban scenes, and also portraits and intimate domestic scenes, such as this one captured in 'Woman with a Cat,' painted in 1912.

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'Portrait of Pierre Loti' -

French post-impressionist painter Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) included a tabby cat in his 1891 'Portrait of Pierre Loti,' created in Rousseau's signature Naïve or Primitive manner.

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'Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga' -

Spanish artist Francisco Goya (1746–1828) painted this full-length portrait called 'Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga' in 1787–88. Known also as Goya's "Red Boy," it depicts a young lad in crimson clothes with two cats, a magpie, and caged songbirds.

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'The Favorite' -

German artist Wilhelm Schütze (1840–1898) perfectly captures the heart-melting appeal of cats and kittens in this wonderful 19th-century portrait called 'The Favorite.'

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'Still Life with a Cat' -

Born in 1888, French artist Jean Joveneau was highly regarded for his still life work. In 'Still Life with a Cat,' painted in 1912, Joveneau gives pride of place to a black cat, stretching over a mantelpiece.

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'International Baking Powder' -

Cats have long been depicted in advertising campaigns to help sell products and services. In this poster, a black domestic feline is used as color contrast against the brilliant white of a brand of baking powder manufactured in Buffalo, New York.

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'Absinthe Bourgeois' -

This charming 1900 design for Absinthe Bourgeois by the Mourgue Brothers shows an absinthe-loving black cat enjoying a glass of the company's product. Nicknamed the "Chat Noir," it became one of the best-loved absinthe publicity images of the early 20th-century.

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'Wizard Tobacco' -

A vintage 1920's illustration of a cigar box label for Wizard Tobacco, with a wizard in an elaborate blue cape and long white beard next to a frightened black cat. The Wizard is drawing tobacco leaves from bales to make cigars.

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'The Black Cat' -

An Illustration for the short story 'The Black Cat' by American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849). Poe's use of the black cat evokes various superstitions, including the idea that they are all witches in disguise.

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'Boy with Cat' -

This oil on canvas called 'Boy with Cat' was painted in 1780 by the Italian artist Paolo Borroni (1749–1819).

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'Whittingdon and his Cat' -

This 17th-century portrait of Richard Whittington and his cat illustrates Whittington (c. 1354–1423), who was four times mayor of London, with his furry friend. Both man and feline provided real-life inspiration for a famous English folk tale about the pair.

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'Walking Cat' -

'Walking Cat' by Russian contemporary artist David Khaikin (1928–2008) has been reproduced thousands of times as a fine-art print.

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'Let us Prey' -

Three naughty felines eye up a potential lunch in this textile sheet by English designer Charles Annesley Voysey (1857–1941).

Sources: (CatWatch) (My Modern Met)

See also: Rare vintage photos of celebrities with cats

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