Egyptian Ptolemaic Wood / Gilt Gesso Mummy Mask

Egypt, Ptolemaic period, ca. 332 to 30 BCE. A beautiful, hand-carved wooden mummy mask with fine gilt gesso enveloping the face. The countenance is defined by large, white-and-black eyes beneath thick eyebrows, a slender nose with flared nostrils, full lips, and a tapered jawline. A broad headdress sits low on the forehead and has thin red stripes adorning the dark-blue ground. The polychrome pigments are presented atop layers of white gesso that adheres to the wood like an artificial 'skin.' Two original dowel holes are visible on the verso and show how the mask was attached to the face of a mummy. Size: 5.625" W x 5.6" H (14.3 cm x 14.2 cm).

Ancient Egyptians believed it was of the utmost importance to preserve a body of the deceased, because the soul needed a place to reside after the death. Preservation of the body was done via mummification - a process involving the removal of internal organs that were placed in canopic jars, wrapping body in linen, and then embalming. Death masks like this example were created so that the soul could recognize the body and return to it. For this reason, death masks were made in the likeness of the deceased. Artisans used different materials to create masks for mummies that became progressively finer during later dynastic periods. Earlier masks were carved from wood, while later ones were made of cartonnage, a material made from papyrus or linen and soaked in plaster which was then applied to a wooden mold, was used. Royal death masks, perhaps the most famous being that of Tutankhamen, were made from precious metals. All death masks were intended to resemble the deceased subject; however, eyes were always slightly enlarged and lips presented in a subtle smile, as we see in this example.

Provenance: private A.G. collection, Chicago, Illinois, USA; purchased from a dealer in Germany prior to 1980

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#150148
Condition Report: Chips to gesso, gilding, and areas of periphery and verso, with a few stable fissures, fading to areas of original pigment, and light encrustations. Great earthen deposits as well as nice traces of original pigment and gilding.