Mummy Mask of Noble Woman

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Roman period, late 1st century A.D.

Material: Stucco

Dimensions: 33 cm high

Price: 16 000 Euro

Ref: 1558

Provenance: Gallery Mathias Komor (1909-1984), New York. There acquired by the famous photo artist Richard Avedon (1923-2004). Auctioned from his estate with Sotheby's New York on 14 October 2005, lot 41. Thence in a US private collection. On 3 June 2009 with Christie's New York, lot 29. There acquired by the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins in southern France. There exhibited from 2011 to 2023 with the inventory number MMoCA349. Accompanied by a French antiquities passport.

Condition: Missing areas of the necklace and on the left on the row of ringlets. Colour fading. Overall, a stucco mask of outstanding quality.

Description: Magnificent stucco mummy mask depicting a young woman from the Egyptian upper class dating to the period of the Flavian reign. Her black hair is traditionally styled in several rows of small ringlets over her forehead and tied to a large bun on the calotte. Her features are extraordinarily fine. The eyes gently look out from thick lids, the nose is straight, the mouth formed to a charming smile. Two Venus folds adorn her neck and underline her femininity. She wears a pearl necklace with several pearls still preserved on the neck. Her blue-green veil cascades on the side behind the head. A small perforation in the bun indicates a headdress made of precious metal, which is missing today. The very individual depiction and quality of this mummy mask suggest the high social standing of the woman to whom it belonged. Published in: John Pollini “Roman Marble Sculpture” in M. Merrony (ed.) “Mougins Museum of Classical Art”, Mougins 2011, p. 78, fig. 10. Mounted.