Mummy Mask
Unknown Artist
A.D. 60–70
Medium
Cartonnage, plaster, paint, plant fibers
Dimensions
l. 63 cm (24 13/16 in); w. 33 cm (13 in); h. 53 (20 7/8 in)
Classification
Mask, cartonnage, woman
Period
Roman Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1919
Accession Number
19.2.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking Mummy Mask, crafted around A.D. 60–70 during Egypt's Roman Period, once adorned the face of a deceased woman, serving as a protective and idealized portrait for her journey into the afterlife. Made from cartonnage—a technique involving layers of linen or plant fibers soaked in plaster, then meticulously painted—it measures about 63 cm long and captures the era's fusion of traditional Egyptian funerary practices with Roman realism. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1919, it now graces the Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe mask's vibrant paints, applied...