Sarcophagus Mask. Ancient Egypt . 331-32 Bc

Sarcophagus mask Ancient Egypt, late Ptolemaic period. 332 - 31 BC;
In stuccoed wood with its original polychromy.
Visible chips.

Face of a man with ocher yellow complexion, black and white pigments. The top of a striated tripartite wig, the almond-shaped eyes drawn towards the temples, the eyebrows clearly marked with a thick black line, the edges of the eyes and the pupils are painted black.
This mask was part of a wooden anthropoid coffin. These coffins were usually constructed from several pieces, the coffin itself, then the face, wig and hands which were added after being made separately.
Once the coffin is assembled, plastered and painted, the different elements blend under the stucco and the coffin appears to be made from a single piece of wood.

Provenance: Former collection of Mrs. A. Paris. Acquired from Jean and Huguette Ramié “Objects d’Art” in Cannes in 1982.
Expertise made by C. Vérité, Paris on the back of the photo in 1982.

Height 30 cm - Width 28 cm

Comparative literature: - ES Edwards, A handbook to the Egyptian mummies and coffins. London 1938. - Carol Andrews, Egyptian mummies, London 1988.