The cat on the mat
Excuse the somewhat flippant heading but it seems entirely appropriate for a rug made out of such a strange fibre with such a macabre story...
Over in Florida this relict from Ancient Egypt features a stylised cat (see the drawing opposite) and once wrapped a mummified foot apparently. For the squeamish amongst us that is enough to give us bad dreams. But the icing on this particular cake is the fibre that the rug is woven from; cat hair! Very definitely a personal item which you may see, if you wish, on display in a Moorish, Alhambra inspired mansion turned museum. Do let us know if you get to see it.