But most striking is the richly ornamented diadem with a floral motif over the forehead. In addition, a simple necklace with a large pearl completes his adornment.
A broad collar composed of many rows of beads features falcon-headed terminals, which are held in position by strings emerging from under the wig on the mask's back. The man wears a voluminous wig with long, rounded ends, which are neatly rimmed with a decorative border. Even so, some details are indicated: the bristles of the full beard, the mustache, and the eyebrows, all stippled in black over a blue ground. The face is rendered in a formal, stylized way, giving it a somewhat stiff expression. Finally, each mask was painted in bright colors.īecause of their fragility, relatively few cartonnage masks of the Middle Kingdom have survived in as good a state of preservation as this one. Generally, they consist of layers of linen and gypsum that could be molded to the shape of the deceased. Such masks covered the head and the upper part of the chest of a mummified person. The use of a cartonnage mask is one of the most characteristic features of ancient Egyptian burial customs.
