EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGUS WOODEN MASK WITH INLAID EYES

Late Period, Ca. 664 - 332 BC.
An impressive example of a carved wooden mummy mask boasting remnants of white red and black pigments with bronze and obsidian inlaid eyes. The attractive visage is symmetrically oriented, with almond-shaped eyes and an elongated canthi. The mask has a bulbous nose, flat nasal bridge, plump lips, shallow nasolabial folds, and raised brows beneath a squat forehead. Mounted on a custom-made stand. These masks were stylised and idealised portraits of the deceased and served an important role in Egyptian funerary rituals. For similar see: La bellezza femminile nell'antico Egitto, Aboca Museum p. 156.
Size: 310mm x 245mm; Weight: 3.87kg
Provenance: Private London collection, acquired on the US art market in the 1980s. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.