Here is the deceased, fully awake, renewed, and looking fantastic in the next life.
Based on stylistic grounds, this mask is dated to the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty (ca. 1550–1295 B.C.).
The man who wore it into eternity clearly had the means to ensure that he arrived looking great. This mask was designed to be a better, more perfect picture of the mummy beneath. And who wouldn't make the most of the opportunity for a little makeover for posterity?
The man's high status is also highlighted by the mask's striking eyes; inlaid with stone whites and obsidian pupils. The eyebrows were inlaid as well, but the stone has gone missing over the centuries, leaving only the recesses in the wood.
Under the chin is a small groove where a false beard was once attached, associating the deceased with Osiris, god of the Underworld. It would have been the man's hope to share in the god's resurrection.This mask caught the eye of the renowned pioneering female explorer, Lady Jane Franklin, who bought it during a journey down the Nile in 1834.
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