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Collections

Mummy Mask of a WomanRoman Period, Late 2nd century CE

On view:
Geffen Galleries
Painted cartonnage funerary mask, face of a young figure with wide dark eyes, pink skin tone, black wig with white diadem, and striated brown wig panels on the sides; heavily worn surface
Painted cartonnage funerary mask fragment depicting a frontal face with dark hollowed eyes, rosy complexion, and black hair with a white diadem, with striped lappets at the sides; polychrome pigment shows significant wear.
Title
Mummy Mask of a Woman
Place Made
Egypt
Date Made
Roman Period, Late 2nd century CE
Medium
Plaster, glass, pigments
Dimensions
6 1/2 × 5 × 6 1/2 in. (16.51 × 12.7 × 16.51 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Sanders
Accession Number
M.80.201.1
Classification
Jewelry and Adornments
Collecting Area
Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes

This small idealized mummy mask depicts a young woman with a centrally parted hairstyle, braided or curled along the forehead, with a small chignon at the back. Her features are enlivened by large glass-covered eyes with darkly painted pupils and irises. Her skin and mouth are painted light pink, and the remnants of a striated cloak appear on both the left and right of her head. Masks of this type are believed to have been mold-made separately and then fastened to the mummy case or cartonnage for the burial.

Provenance: Mrs. Tiya Rossi, New York as of 12/10/1976. Offered for sale, Sotheby Parke Bernet, Inc., sale 3934, December 11, 1976, lot 317, listed as unsold. Collection of Mrs. James Sanders, Gift to LACMA 1980.