Funerary mask; Egypt, Late Antiquity, 66-332 BC. Polychrome... Lot 48

Funerary mask; Egypt, Late Antiquity, 66-332 BC. Polychrome sycamore wood. Damage due to the passage of time. Provenance: European private collection. Measurements: 32 x 32 x 8 cm. Egyptian sarcophagus mask from the Late Period, made of sycamore wood, stuccoed and polychromed, with an ideal representation of the face of the deceased. Egyptian funerary masks were originally made of layers of linen or papyrus stiffened with plaster and decorated with paint or gilding. Their main function was to allow the identification of the deceased, so they were placed over the head of the mummy. In addition, Chapter 151 of the Book of the Dead recalls that the funerary mask is an essential element in the protection of the head of the deceased. The first funerary masks were the stone 'reserve heads' of the 4th Dynasty, which served as a substitute for the head of the deceased. These stones sometimes allowed the mask to be moulded. Excavations have uncovered a number of plaster masks from the end of the Late Antique Empire, moulded over the face of the deceased in order to preserve his memory. Masks made from linen would appear during the course of the First Intermediate Period. Most often painted, sometimes gilded and decorated with stones, they would take the impression of the face of the deceased. The royal masks, most often made of gold, were often decorated with semi-precious stones and fragments of vitreous paste. The mask is therefore an important part of the funerary rites of Ancient Egypt, forming part of an elaborate series of rituals that were considered necessary to ensure immortality after death. These rites and protocols included mummification, the casting of magical spells and the inclusion of very specific objects in the tombs, which were thought to be needed in the afterlife.