Egyptian Burial Masks

• Burial Masks were a part of Ancient Egyptian funeral rituals.

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

What is a Burial Mask?

• Burial Masks were placed over the wrapped, mummified bodies of the dead.

• It was thought that these burial masks, needed to be preserved so that the person could enjoy 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 Burial Masks?

• Most corpses were buried wearing masks, but it was mostly royalty that had burial masks made of gold.

• The golden burial mask of the young pharoah, Tutankhamen, is the most famous.

• 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.

• Other burial masks were made of wood and glass.

How were they decorated?

• Red paint tones were used for men and yellow paint tones were used for women, to represent the different skin tones.

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

• They were often studded with expensive jewels andgemstones like lapis lazuli.

Features of Egyptian Burial Masks

• Painted gold (to represent royalty)

• Embellished with jewels and coloured stones

• Black eyeliner outlining eyes

• Line patterns and designs

• Something that symbolises the dead person so they can be recognised.

• A cartouche (a kind of nameplate which consists of a number of hieroglyphic symbols) was often included on the sarcophagus.

Your TASK

Design & decorate your own burial mask. It should include ALL features of an Ancient Egyptian Burial Mask but be unique and represent YOU.

How?• Papier Mache

the mask to build up & add facial features.

• When dry, paint your mask, adding line patterns, embellishments and something that is recognisable as YOU.

• Include a cartouche.