EGYPTIAN BURIAL MASKS

WHY WERE THEY WORN? • The ancient Egyptians death masks as part of their funeral rituals.

• It was thought that these death masks, needed to be preserved so that the person could enjoy the afterlife.

• The purpose of these death masks was to give the dead a face in the afterlife.

• They were also thought to allow the spirit to recognize the body and also to allow them to be recognized and accepted by other people in the realm of the dead.

WHO WORE THEM? • It was mostly royalty that had death masks made of gold, and they were often studded

with expensive jewels and lapis lazuli, as well.

WHAT MATERIAL WERE THEY MADE FROM? • The masks were usually constructed by taking a plaster cast of the person's face, then

making a copy of thin gold plate or other material that was then painted with a likeness of the deceased person.

WHAT DESIGNS, PATTERNS OR EMBELLISHMENTS DID THEY HAVE? • Red paint tones were used for men and yellow paint tones were used for women to

represent the different skin tones.

• Eyebrows, noses and other features were emphasized according to the many rules governing the mummification and preservation processes of the Egyptians.

• This is the death mask of king Tutankhamen. It is the most famous of all the death masks.

• This an Egyptian coffin mask made of wood and glass, from the New Kingdom.

•

This is a golden Mummy mask of an unnamed princess of the Middle Kingdom. It would be placed over the head of the bandaged mummy before being placed in the coffin

This is the mask of Ka

Nefer-Nefer

• This is the death mask of Lady Tjuya. She is thought to be the great grandmother of King Tutankhamen.

• This is a mask of an unidentified Mummy.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

• Do you like the masks?• Do you think they’re interesting? • Would you like to make you own?