ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Mummy Mask

Possible OriginAntinoopolis, Egypt, Africa

Possible OriginTuna el-Gebel, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodRoman Period

Dateca. 98 - 120 CE

MediumPlaster, paint

Credit LineGift of Joseph A. Lewis II and Sofi Lewis

Dimensions7 3/4 x 7 x 5 in. (19.7 x 17.8 x 12.7 cm)

Object number2011.043.002

Label TextThis mummy mask is made of plaster that was shaped in a mold and then painted. Its small size suggests it was made for a child. Roman period mummy masks often combine realistic painted features such as blushed cheeks and pink lips with stylized elements that recall earlier Egyptian art, like the large symmetrical eyes. The boy’s evenly cropped bangs resemble the hairstyle worn by the Roman emperor Trajan, who ruled from 98-117 CE. At the same time, his face is framed by a stylized Egyptian wig decorated with traditional religious symbols. Blue stripes border the face, evoking the lapis lazuli hair of the Egyptian gods. A scarab sits at the top of the head, with its wings stretching down the sides of the wig to protect the boy’s head.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, June 6, 2013 - Present
Published ReferencesAsja Müller, Ägyptens schöne Gesichter : die Mumienmasken der römischen Kaiserzeit und ihre Funktion im Totenritual (Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2021), 334.

Terms

mummy masks

ProvenanceWith Arte Primitivo, New York, New York, October 8, 2003, lot 43. Ex coll. Joseph and Sofi Lewis, United States, purchased from Sue McGovern-Huffman [Sands of Time Antiquities], Washington DC, February 3, 2008.

Status

On view

Collections