Ancient Egyptian Faience Bead Mummy Mask

Object Description

A fine Egyptian mummy mask made of small faience beads, restrung in their original arrangement. Pale green, black, red and cream tones have been used to render a highly stylised human face, with a neutral expression. The large trapezoid eyes, long thin eyebrows, broad nose and small mouth are arranged in a perfectly symmetrical manner. The mask would have been placed over the face of the deceased at their burial, in a similar manner to the better-known cartonnage mummy masks, mostly for decorative or protective purposes.

Date: Circa 664-332 BC
Period: Late Period

Object History

From Mariaud de Serres collection, Paris 1980-90s.

Object Condition

Very fine, restrung with original faience beads. Some beads might display signs of ageing to the surface.

Object Details