Ancient Egyptian culture and artwork fascinate me. In fact, my MFA thesis show was called "From Aten to Ziggurat" and was my homage to that time in history. This particular illustration was created after seeing the Queen Nefertari exhibit. The source of the cat is a small bronze statue from the exhibit. It is the piece that I spent the most time just looking at with the knowledge that the person who created this piece died thousands of years ago. The hieroglyphics are Queen Nefertari's cartouch. The lilies are to symbolize the Nile River.