Mummy Mask

In the Middle Kingdom mummy masks made of cartonage covered the head of the mummified body of the deceased in his sarcophagus. From the early New Kingdom onwards the whole mummy was encased in painted cartonage or linen covered with plaster. In the Ptolemaic Period these mummy covers were in turn replaced by individual pieces, i.e. mummy masks and other pieces of cartonage placed on the body. This partly-gilt cartonage mask was made of linen and plaster and. Shaped like a head covered with a three-strand black and gold wig, it extends over the shoulders and down onto the chest. The broad face with its smiling yet bland features is characteristic of portraits from the Ptolemaic Period. The extensive use of gold probably reflects the deceased’s wealth and status. At the same time, gilding also symbolized the sun’s rays and the deceased’s union with the sun-god.The mummy mask’s cartonage consists of three layers of linen shaped over a model and then glued together. After drying the mask was covered with a thin layer of stucco both inside and outside, that served as a support for the subsequent painting and gilding. © Regina Hölzl, Meisterwerke der Ägyptisch-Orientalischen Sammlung, Wien 2007.