Egyptian Ptolemaic Gilt Gesso / Wood Mummy Mask

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
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• Lot Description
  Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305 to 30 BCE. A finely-carved wooden mummy mask with a gilded face and painted gesso details. Crowned by a rectangular headdress painted with horizontal bands of red and black pigment and adorned with circular and ovoid motifs, the mesmerizing visage presents characteristically large almond-shaped eyes which are painted white and outlined in heavy black pigment with thick brows above; a perky nose, prominent chin, puffy cheeks, and red-painted lips constitute the remainder of the face. The verso of the mask presents a singular drilled dowel hole behind the chin with a fragment of the original dowel still within. Lucite display stand for photography purposes only. Size: 6" W x 8.75" H (15.2 cm x 22.2 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. 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.
  
  The mask was an essential part of the mummy, placed over the head to provide an idealized image of the deceased as he or she would be resurrected. This mask and others like it were traditionally carved from cedar. Interestingly, cedar wood was not native to Egypt. Egypt did not have verdant forests filled with tall trees, and unfortunately most of its native lumber was of relatively poor quality. So the ancient Egyptians relied on importing to acquire hardwoods - ebony imported from Africa, cedar and pine from Lebanon. One fabulous obelisk inscription by Thutmose III attests to the luxury of treasured hardwoods. It reads as follows, "They brought to me the choicest products . . . consisting of cedar, juniper and of meru wood . . . all the good sweet woods of God's Land." (Obelisk inscription by Thutmose III - J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Two, p. 321)
  
  Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-private collection of a Lady, acquired on the London Art Market in the late 1970s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #143702

  Condition

  Light stabilization material along top of verso. Small chips to several areas of painted gesso, verso, and peripheries, with several stable hairline fissures across verso, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits and craquelure to areas of pigment throughout.
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