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HOME :
Egyptian Antiquities :
Late Dynastic Period : Egyptian painted wooden mask
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Egyptian painted wooden mask - X.0301
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 7
th
Century BC
to 5
th
Century BC
Dimensions:
10.5" (26.7cm) high
Collection: Egyptian
Medium: Wood
Additional Information: Art Logic-Collection of the late Gavin Todhunter, Christie's (London) 2003
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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The funerary rites and rituals of Egypt
are among
the most elaborate and celebrated burial
traditions in the ancient world. The
foremost
concern was the preservation of the
body, in
order that it might be reborn in the
afterlife. While
the painstaking mummification process
achieved
this goal of counteracting the effects
of physical
decomposition, the ancient Egyptian were
not
satisfied with a wrapped body alone.
Gorgeously
decorated mummy cases and sarcophagi
developed over the course of thousands
of years
so that the body could be properly
presented to
the audience of the gods awaiting the
deceased’s
arrival in the next world. These cases
were
created from a variety of materials,
including
stone, wood, and cartonnage, that were
utilized
depending upon the wealth and status of
the
deceased.
This gesso-painted wooden funerary mask
is a
splendid example of Egyptian art. Wooden
sculptures from Ancient Egypt are
exceedingly
rare, since fine wood was scarce and
expensive.
Considering the relative expense of
wood, it is
likely that this work was once inserted
into a large
mummy case likely formed from cartonnage
or
carved from stone. Dowel pins still in
place on the
reverse support this theory.
Additionally, there are
traces of painted decoration adorning
the
headdress that may have corresponded to
the
greater decorative motif of the casket
as a whole.
However, the focus here is the slender
face,
expertly rendered with idealized
features and a
smooth, polished surface. The stylized
almond-
shaped eyes, so characteristic of
Egyptian art,
with tapering cosmetic lines and black
brows,
draw our attention with their captive
gaze. They
appear to stare back at us from beyond
the
grave. Who might this man have been? A
pharaoh? A priest? A scribe? Surely he
was
someone of tremendous importance and
great
stature in order to be honored with such
a
gorgeous rendition of his being.
- (X.0301)
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