Egypt, Romano-Egyptian period, ca. 30 BCE to 300 CE. A striking cartonnage sarcophagus mask of a woman's face, made from layers of plaster-covered papyrus and painted with bright pigments. The visage is painted in hues of yellow ochre, black, and white atop a layer of gesso. The dramatic eyes are outlined with stark black pupils to mimic kohl cosmetic eyeliner. She bears an aquiline nose above thin lips in an enigmatic smile. Her coiffure is arranged atop her head and painted in black, swirling lines representing strands of hair under an ochre wreath of laurel leaves. The ground color of the face is a yellow ochre with traces gilding on the surface. Her ears and neck are adorned with beaded jewelry. A shift towards more naturalistic features, as seen here, reflects the profound change that the Greco-Roman world brought to Egypt. Depictions of a deceased person's distinctive face, full head, or body replaced the stylized art of dynastic Egypt. This lovely lady is a outstanding example of funerary art. Size: 7.215" L x 5.75" W (18.3 cm x 14.6 cm); 10" H (25.4 cm) on included custom stand.

A mask like this would have been placed over the face and fastened into the linen wrappings of a mummy. Death masks were created for the soul to recognize the body and return to it, and so masks were made in the relative likeness of the deceased. Such portrait masks are significant, because they demonstrate conclusively that Greco-Roman individuals represented in encaustic paintings also subscribed to traditional Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife.

Interestingly, Roman Egypt was a multicultural society, and this provided great resources for portraiture. The sculptural style and painting technique of this example, for instance, speaks to Greco-Roman traditions of realism with sensitive modeling that allows for shadows and highlights on the face. What's more, since virtually no paintings from the ancient Greeks have survived, mummy portraits - both paintings and painted masks like this example - are the only examples that can point to one of the purportedly highest achievements of Greek culture. Furthermore, the clothing, jewelry, and hairstyles depicted present fashions that embraced eastern Mediterranean preferences.

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world’s largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, 2000s; ex-private Scottsdale, Arizona, USA collection

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#164565

Fragment of a larger section. Repaired with large piece reattached on upper right corner and visible break line. Chipping and fading of paint. Light mineral and earthen encrustations to verso. Good preservation of facial features.