Romano- Egyptian Painted Plaster Crocodile Mummy Mask

Egypt, Romano-Egyptian period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A fabulous hollow-molded plaster mummy mask for a crocodile, perhaps meant as an offering to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and the Nile River. The mask bears characteristic reptilian features such as an elongated snout with a rounded muzzle, recessed nostrils, protruding eyes inlaid with transparent glass sheets, and an inward-sloping brow. Dark russet-red pigment illustrates several areas of the mask including the gnashing teeth, nostrils, eyelashes, and forked marking centered on the forehead. Masks like this example were created when mummifying a certain type of animal - in this case a crocodile - and imprints of the original linen lining are still visible within the hollow interior. An excellent example replete with an attractive minimalist presentation. Size: 17.25" L x 9.875" W x 7.3" H (43.8 cm x 25.1 cm x 18.5 cm).

The crocodile was, and still is, one of the most awe-inspiring creatures in the animal kingdom. The ancient Egyptians both feared and revered crocodiles for their stealthy nature as well as their ferocious killing capabilities. According to scholar Dorothea Arnold, "Although the ancient Egyptians somewhat whimsically called the crocodile 'wrinkle face,' without a doubt these reptiles were the most dangerous creatures of their country and a constant threat to the people and their livestock" (Arnold, Dorothea. "An Egyptian Bestiary." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Spring 1995, Vol. LII, no. 4, p. 32). Concurrently in regards to the crocodile-headed god Sobek, Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw explains that, "As a god, [Sobek] was associated with the riverbanks and the marshland, and in some sources the Nile was said to be his sweatÂ…[though] not content to dwell just in the river, Sobek was also called the Lord of Bakhu, a mythological mountain in the horizon, where he lived in a temple made from carnelian" (Shaw, Garry J. "The Egyptian Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Gods and Legends." Thames & Hudson, London, 2014, p. 137).

A stylistically similar example, of a slightly smaller size, hammered for $12,500 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities" auction (sale 2323, June 10, 2010, lot 56):

Provenance: private Lexington, Kentucky, USA collection; ex-private Simonian collection, Switzerland, exported from Egypt in 1972

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#149423
Condition Report: A few small losses on teeth and around back periphery as shown. Minor fissures on interior of mask that do not comprise its integrity, light fading to original pigmentation, and very light abrasions to glass eye panels. Nice earthen deposits throughout, and imprint of original linen lining visible within interior.