Egyptian Wood Mummy Mask w/ Painted Details

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Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic - Fall Variety...

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 13, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-09-13 10:00:00 2018-09-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic - Fall Variety https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethnographic---fall-variety-3432
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• Lot Description
  Ancient Egypt, Late Period, Dynasties 26 to 31, ca. 712 to 300 BCE. An elegant and refined mask with russet red painted flesh tones and black painted eyes and brows - as well as intricate linear and geometric motifs on the headdress, this hand-carved and hand-painted wooden sarcophagus mask displays quintessential Egyptian beauty. Notice those quixotic, large black outlined eyes - with deep-set lids framed by an arched browline that meets the bridge of its relatively naturalistic nose protruding above its closed mouth. The mask was an essential part of a mummy, placed over the head to provide an idealized image of the deceased. This particular mask is relatively small and was probably made for a child or a petite woman. Size: 7.5" H (19 cm); 11.125" H (28.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Mummy masks were principally used to protect the face of the deceased, but they could also act as a substitute for the mummified head in the case of loss or damage. The ancient Egyptians believed that the ba (often incorrectly translated as "spirit") could leave the tomb and travel freely in the world of the living. To make sure that upon returning it would recognize the mummy, whose face was hidden by layers of bandage, the mask functioned as a portrait. Nevertheless, most masks had idealized features and were rarely particularized portraits.
  
  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 they 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 East Coast, USA collection
  
  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.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #138430

  Condition

  Expected age wear with abraded areas and old losses to the upper verso, peripheries of headdress, and high pointed areas as shown. Nice remains of original dowels in three perforations on verso. Good remaining pigments.
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