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HOME :
Egyptian Antiquities :
Late Dynastic Period : Egyptian Wooden Mask
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Egyptian Wooden Mask - PH.0240
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 600
BC
to 500
BC
Dimensions:
10" (25.4cm) high
x 9" (22.9cm) wide
Collection: Egyptian
Style: Late Kingdom
Medium: Wood
$9,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
In ancient Egypt, masks were primarily used
for
funerary purposes as death masks. Ancient
Egyptians believed that it was extremely
important to preserve the body of a dead
person
because the soul must have a place where to
dwell upon death. Preservation of the dead
body
was achieved by mummification but it was
also
considered equally important for the soul to be
able to recognize the body, so it can return to
it.
For such reason death masks were abundantly
used, made in the likeness of the deceased.
Early masks were made from wood, followed
by
masks in cartonnage, a material made from
papyrus or linen and soaked in plaster and
then
molded on a wooden mold, a cheap variant
intended for lower class. Royal death masks
were made from precious metals, mostly gold
or
gold leaves on bronze. All death masks were
made to resemble the deceased but with
slightly
enlarged eyes and a faint smile. They also
showed the fashion of the moment with
painted
jewellery and makeup. These death masks
later
evolved into full-body coffins in the human
shape, preserving the same decorations and
ornaments. Extracted from the lid of an
anthropomorphic coffin and finely sculpted,
this
perfectly modeled naturalistic and very
expressive face was originally framed by a
smooth wig, the lappets of which are not
preserved. The broad mouth with full lips is
pursed into a faint smile with indented
corners,
the slender nose is well-defined, especially on
the outer edges of the nostrils, the eyes are
almond-shaped with large, dark irises. The
reddish preserved stucco reveals that the
person
depicted is a male.
- (PH.0240)
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