**First Time At Auction**

Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 25th Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 664 BCE. An elegant hand-carved mummy mask with a square headdress and delineated neck. The attractive visage is symmetrically oriented, with almond-shaped eyes and elongated canthi, a bulbous nose with a flat nasal bridge, slender lips, shallow nasolabial folds, and risen brows beneath a squat forehead. The periphery of the verso still retains eleven petite dowels with a knob-form end for attachment, while five additional dowels can be found on the proper right side of the mask. Liberal remains of faded sky blue and salmon pink pigments and gesso are still present on the headdress. Size: 5.125" W x 11.5" H (13 cm x 29.2 cm); 14" H (35.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Interestingly, cedar wood was not native to Egypt. Egypt did not have verdant forests filled with tall trees, and unfortunately most of its native lumber was of relatively poor quality. Thus, they relied on importing to acquire hardwoods - ebony imported from Africa, cedar and pine from Lebanon. One fabulous obelisk inscription by Thutmose III attests to the luxury of treasured hardwoods. It reads as follows, "They brought to me the choicest products...consisting of cedar, juniper and of meru wood...all the good sweet woods of God's Land." The rarity of cedar meant that masks like this example were reserved for those who could afford them.

Ancient Egyptians believed it was of the utmost importance to preserve a body of the deceased, because the soul needed a place to reside after the death. Preservation of the body was done via mummification - a process involving the removal of internal organs that were placed in canopic jars, wrapping the body in linen, and then embalming. Death masks like this example were created so that the soul could recognize the body and return to it. For this reason, death masks were made in the likeness of the deceased. Artisans used different materials. Earlier masks were carved from wood. Later, cartonnage, a material made from papyrus or linen and soaked in plaster which was then applied to a wooden mold, was used. Royal death masks, perhaps the most famous being that of Tutankhamen, were made from precious metals. All death masks were intended to resemble the deceased subject; however, eyes were always slightly enlarged and lips presented in a subtle smile as we see in this example.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, acquired 2018; ex-private estate, Chicago, Illinois, USA, before 2000

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#161317

Fragment of larger piece. Expected age wear with some stable surface fissures, nicks/chips, and abrasions throughout. Otherwise, very nice with light patina, liberal remains of gesso and pigment, and lovely earthen deposits throughout.