Art Institute of Chicago
Funerary Mask
Egyptian; probably from Hawara, EgyptLinkedCulture matchlcp-48435b347976
- Date
- Late Ptolemaic Period-early Roman Period, 1st century BCE
- Medium
- Cartonnage, gold leaf, and pigment
- Culture
- Egypt
- Department
- Arts of Africa
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 136740
From the Art Institute of Chicago record
A funerary mask protected the head and chest of a mummified individual. Rather than presenting a portrait, a mask like this shows the deceased with idealized facial features and the golden skin of a god. At the bottom, kites (birds of prey) with outstretched wings flank divine figures including the ruler of the underworld, Osiris, who sits on a throne in the center. The kites represent Isis and Nephthys, who mourned the death of their brother Osiris. By extension, these goddesses acted as mourners for everyone transitioning from the world of the living to the realm of the reborn dead.
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Provenance & credit
As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.
- Credit line
- W. Moses Willner Fund
- Provenance
- The Art Institute of Chicago, acquired in 1910.
Linked open data
Authority identifiers that link this record into the wider web of cultural data — stable references you can follow to the source.
- Object type
- AAT300234126
Part of a LinkedCulture topic
Ancient Egyptian Personal ObjectsThese objects are cosmetic implements and grooming tools from ancient Egypt, including mirrors, palettes for grinding pigments, and decorative knives, representing daily life and personal adornment practices.
476 objects from 5 institutions
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