Ancient Egypt, Late Period, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. An incredible gilded sarcophagus mask for a child, gesso over linen, with a painted blue wig and painted pectoral / necklaces below the neck. The artwork is well-executed by a steady hand, with fine-line painting of eyes, eyebrows, and along the wig line as well as excellent details painted to give the jewelry a realistic look. The nose and mouth are small in contrast to the wide, classically Egyptian eyes. The gilding has attained a coppery iridescence in some places. Size: 7.7" W x 9.5" H (19.6 cm x 24.1 cm); comes in shadow box that is 15" W x 18" H (38.1 cm x 45.7 cm)

This item would once have wrapped around the top of a sarcophagus constructed from a mud and straw mixture, then wrapped with a surface treatment of textile, gesso, paint, and gilding. Children in ancient Egypt were buried in coffins, much the same as adults, and the coffin this mask came from would have once born inscriptions seeking protection of the dead and giving his or her name. For example, a recent discovery in France uncovered a child mummy that belonged to a four year old named Ta-Iset, which had been brought to France by a Napoleonic general and passed down for almost two hundred years. The care taken to create this object and its obvious beauty emphasize how important the child within was to his or her family, which would have been either upper or middle class to afford this coffin.

To read about the similar child mummy found in France: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11600646/Egyptian-mummified-child-saved-from-French-rubbish-dump-to-go-on-display-for-first-time.html

Provenance: private Pasadena, California, USA collection

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#128354

The piece is fragile, composed of three major pieces (the lower sides of the wig have been reattached), with cracking to the gesso at the top of the wig and along the left side (facing) of the face as shown. Two clear adhesives are on the back to hold the wig sides in place. Excellent remaining gilding and detail.