Mummy Mask4th century CE

On view:

David Geffen Galleries, Life and Afterlife: Imagery of Early Egypt

Title: Mummy Mask
Culture: Roman
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 4th century CE
Medium: Stucco and pigment
Dimensions: 18 3/4 × 8 × 3 3/4 in. (47.63 × 20.32 × 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Adina Lei Savin, in honor of Dr. William Benson Harer, Jr.
Accession Number: M.2022.132.2
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: During the Roman Period in Egypt (30 BCE−395 CE), mummified bodies of elite Egyptians were often buried with naturalistic stucco masks. This example is noteworthy for its dimensional pink floral fillet, elaborate hairdo, and distinctive jewelry. The breasts are also rendered in relief. On the lower portion of the mask, two figures of the Egyptian god Anubis, the canine guardian of the necropolis, are shown on plinths flanking a djed pillar, the symbol of enduring stability and eternal life.

On view:

David Geffen Galleries, Life and Afterlife: Imagery of Early Egypt

Title: Mummy Mask
Culture: Roman
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 4th century CE
Medium: Stucco and pigment
Dimensions: 18 3/4 × 8 × 3 3/4 in. (47.63 × 20.32 × 9.53 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Adina Lei Savin, in honor of Dr. William Benson Harer, Jr.
Accession Number: M.2022.132.2
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: During the Roman Period in Egypt (30 BCE−395 CE), mummified bodies of elite Egyptians were often buried with naturalistic stucco masks. This example is noteworthy for its dimensional pink floral fillet, elaborate hairdo, and distinctive jewelry. The breasts are also rendered in relief. On the lower portion of the mask, two figures of the Egyptian god Anubis, the canine guardian of the necropolis, are shown on plinths flanking a djed pillar, the symbol of enduring stability and eternal life.