Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 2
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 3
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 4
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 5
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 6
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 7
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 8
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 2
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 3
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 4
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 5
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 6
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 7
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 8
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask
Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 2 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 3 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 4 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 5 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 6 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 7 Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask, view 8

Roman Egyptian Painted Plaster Mummy Mask

17698

$2,800
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • New York City gallery since 1996. ATADA member
  • Guaranteed authentic, with signed certificate of authenticity
  • Free US shipping on most pieces; insurance on request
  • International shipping calculated at checkout
  • 14-day returns

Questions about this piece? Text or call Howard.

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Egypt, Roman Period, ca. 1st–2nd Century AD.

A  painted plaster funerary mask from Roman Egypt, preserving the face and upper head of a youthful individual. Modeled and hand-finished in stucco with painted eyes, a straight nose, and traces of stippled Roman-style hair, the mask once lay over the wrapped head of the deceased as a portrait substitute. 

Condition: Weathered surface; edge losses, and surface encrustation; reverse hollowed as made.

Provenance: New York private collection; ex Doyle auctions, New York.

Roman-period plaster masks served as a substitute for the head of the deceased, elevating the individual's status and continuing pharaonic funerary traditions in a new Roman-influenced style. Such masks often extended to form part of the coffin lid, on which the deceased appeared to recline with the head slightly raised. The adoption of Roman facial features and hairstyles reflects the blending of Egyptian and Roman culture in Middle Egypt and the Faiyum during the first two centuries AD

Dimensions: 7½ in. (19 cm) high; 11½ in. (29 cm) on custom base

Cf. S. Walker & M. Bierbrier, Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt, British Museum Press, nos. 132 & 134, for closely related plaster masks of young men with inlaid glass eyes and stippled Roman hair.  Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mummy Mask of a Woman, Roman Period, A.D. 60–70, acc. no. 19.2.6, for the molded-plaster mask tradition.  Cf. The British Museum, painted cartonnage and plaster Roman-period masks, ca. AD 100–120.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

Free shipping within the United States on most pieces; oversized works are quoted at checkout. Insurance is available on request. We pack and ship ourselves, usually within two business days. International shipping by USPS or DHL is calculated at checkout; if your country is not listed, write to us. Customs forms state the full value; international buyers are responsible for duties and taxes.

Any object may be returned within 14 days of receipt for a refund or credit. Contact us first. See Buying from Us.

New acquisitions by email

Be the first to hear about new pieces as they arrive.

You may also like

Recently viewed