Mask
Medium
Decorative Arts
Classification
Decorative Arts
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.8.618.1
Tags
About this artwork
Mummy masks were part of an elaborate burial ritual in ancient Egypt dating back thousands of years. The Egyptians believed that death was an interruption, rather than an end to life, and as a result they took many precautions to ensure the deceased was welcomed in the afterlife. Bodies were prepared to receive the ba, or spirit, and a mask would be placed over the head and shoulders of the mummy so that the spirit could recognize its host. The mask did not present a portrait of the individual, ...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –