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Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus Mask
Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus Mask
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-300 BCE
Originally part of a sarcophagus created to protect a mummy, this rare, large mask dates to Egypt’s Late Period to Ptolemaic Period. Carved in wood, it preserves striking painted detail, from the black-outlined almond-shaped eyes and arched brows to the blue tripartite wig falling over the shoulders. Beneath the chin, a broad collar in red, black and blue displays crisp geometric motifs with remarkable clarity, a highly rare feature.Â
Masks were a crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian burials. In the Egyptians’ complicated view of life after death, they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife that enabled the person’s spirit, or ba, to recognize the body. Specific features of a mask, including the eyes, eyebrows, forehead and other features, were directly identified with individual divinities. This allowed the deceased to arrive safely in the hereafter and gain acceptance among the other divine immortals in the council of Osiris, the great god of the dead.
Initially made for only the royalty, such masks were also later crafted for the nobility. They became an important part of the elaborate precautions taken by the ancient Egyptians to preserve the body after death. Once the mummy was in the sarcophagus, the mask was placed over his or her face and held in place by wooden pegs. Such masks were in use well into the Greek Ptolemaic period around 300 BCE and are extremely hard to find on the market today.
23" high x 18 1/2 wide x 6" deep
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The Henry à Liège Collection, 1970s-1980s
Private collection, France
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-300 BCE
Originally part of a sarcophagus created to protect a mummy, this rare, large mask dates to Egypt’s Late Period to Ptolemaic Period. Carved in wood, it preserves striking painted detail, from the black-outlined almond-shaped eyes and arched brows to the blue tripartite wig falling over the shoulders. Beneath the chin, a broad collar in red, black and blue displays crisp geometric motifs with remarkable clarity, a highly rare feature.Â
Masks were a crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian burials. In the Egyptians’ complicated view of life after death, they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife that enabled the person’s spirit, or ba, to recognize the body. Specific features of a mask, including the eyes, eyebrows, forehead and other features, were directly identified with individual divinities. This allowed the deceased to arrive safely in the hereafter and gain acceptance among the other divine immortals in the council of Osiris, the great god of the dead.
Initially made for only the royalty, such masks were also later crafted for the nobility. They became an important part of the elaborate precautions taken by the ancient Egyptians to preserve the body after death. Once the mummy was in the sarcophagus, the mask was placed over his or her face and held in place by wooden pegs. Such masks were in use well into the Greek Ptolemaic period around 300 BCE and are extremely hard to find on the market today.
23" high x 18 1/2 wide x 6" deep
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The Henry à Liège Collection, 1970s-1980s
Private collection, France
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
$64,850.00
Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus Mask—
$64,850.00
Description
Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagus Mask
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-300 BCE
Originally part of a sarcophagus created to protect a mummy, this rare, large mask dates to Egypt’s Late Period to Ptolemaic Period. Carved in wood, it preserves striking painted detail, from the black-outlined almond-shaped eyes and arched brows to the blue tripartite wig falling over the shoulders. Beneath the chin, a broad collar in red, black and blue displays crisp geometric motifs with remarkable clarity, a highly rare feature.Â
Masks were a crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian burials. In the Egyptians’ complicated view of life after death, they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife that enabled the person’s spirit, or ba, to recognize the body. Specific features of a mask, including the eyes, eyebrows, forehead and other features, were directly identified with individual divinities. This allowed the deceased to arrive safely in the hereafter and gain acceptance among the other divine immortals in the council of Osiris, the great god of the dead.
Initially made for only the royalty, such masks were also later crafted for the nobility. They became an important part of the elaborate precautions taken by the ancient Egyptians to preserve the body after death. Once the mummy was in the sarcophagus, the mask was placed over his or her face and held in place by wooden pegs. Such masks were in use well into the Greek Ptolemaic period around 300 BCE and are extremely hard to find on the market today.
23" high x 18 1/2 wide x 6" deep
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The Henry à Liège Collection, 1970s-1980s
Private collection, France
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-300 BCE
Originally part of a sarcophagus created to protect a mummy, this rare, large mask dates to Egypt’s Late Period to Ptolemaic Period. Carved in wood, it preserves striking painted detail, from the black-outlined almond-shaped eyes and arched brows to the blue tripartite wig falling over the shoulders. Beneath the chin, a broad collar in red, black and blue displays crisp geometric motifs with remarkable clarity, a highly rare feature.Â
Masks were a crucial aspect of ancient Egyptian burials. In the Egyptians’ complicated view of life after death, they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife that enabled the person’s spirit, or ba, to recognize the body. Specific features of a mask, including the eyes, eyebrows, forehead and other features, were directly identified with individual divinities. This allowed the deceased to arrive safely in the hereafter and gain acceptance among the other divine immortals in the council of Osiris, the great god of the dead.
Initially made for only the royalty, such masks were also later crafted for the nobility. They became an important part of the elaborate precautions taken by the ancient Egyptians to preserve the body after death. Once the mummy was in the sarcophagus, the mask was placed over his or her face and held in place by wooden pegs. Such masks were in use well into the Greek Ptolemaic period around 300 BCE and are extremely hard to find on the market today.
23" high x 18 1/2 wide x 6" deep
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The Henry à Liège Collection, 1970s-1980s
Private collection, France
M.S. Rau, New Orleans