Late Dynastic Period Wooden Mummy Case Head

This remarkably well-preserved head from a wooden anthropoid sarcophagus depicts the deceased with idealizing facial features. There include the hieroglyphically-designed eyes, with their life-like, black pupils framed by painted cosmetic stripes serving as eye brows. The brow of the forehead seamlessly coalesces into the root of the nose, which is itself characterized by well-modeled, drilled wings. The mouth is designed with wide, horizontally aligned lips, the upper slightly less fleshy than the lower; both of its corners are drilled. The overall expression of this face is at once serious and serene, indicative of the state of eternal bliss which the deceased aspired to enjoy in the Hereafter. The absence of paint on the fleshy areas of the face only serves to heighten the artistry and the natural wood grain ebbing and flowing with the facial planes provides a beautiful counterpoint to the distinctive painted features. Both minimal and expressive this mask is everything we have come to love about the very best in Egyptian art… bold, striking, elegant forms rendered with utility, sensitivity and masterful craftsmanship.