Fine Egyptian Painted Gesso Cedar Mummy Mask

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Oct 8, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-10-08 10:00:00 2020-10-08 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-5796
Museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal,Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful mummy mask that is expertly carved from cedar and covered in a layer of white gesso decorated with thick, opaque pigment hues in red-brown, white, and black hues. The elegant countenance exhibits large, almond-shaped eyes beneath sweeping brows, full lips, a prominent nose, and a petite chin above a tapered neckline. The cheeks roll backwards towards the temples and where the ears were at one time. Two dowel holes above the brow and behind the neck still retain remains of the original dowels and illustrate how the mask was attached to a larger coffin lid. A sensuous mask showcasing the quintessential ancient Egyptian funerary artistry! Size: 4.2" W x 5.8" H (10.7 cm x 14.7 cm); 8.375" H (21.3 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  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. Thus, 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." The rarity of cedar meant that masks like this example were reserved for those who could afford them.
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private prominent D.K. collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 2000s
  
  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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  #159261

  Condition

  Repairs and restoration to a few red-painted areas of gesso layer, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Nicks and minor abrasions to facial details, peripheries, and verso, with a couple of stable hairline fissures along the verso, and chipping to exposed areas of gesso. Great remains of original pigment across face and remains of original dowels within dowel holes. Old inventory label on verso.
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