Large Polychrome Sarcophagus Mask

Culture: Egyptian

Period: 21st-23rd dynasty, 1000-800 B.C.

Material: Cartonnage

Dimensions: 52 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 1114

Provenance: English private collection, acquired at Bonham’s auction house, London on 28 October 2009. Prior American private collection, acquired from Samuel Haddad Gallery, Bloomingdales, New York in 1976. Samuel Haddad acquired this mask from the Egyptian state under Anwar Sadat. A copy of Samuel Haddad’s certificate is enclosed. The mask was part of one of the largest collections which the Egyptian state sold to a private person. There were in total around 8 000 objects which the Sadat government sold to Haddad.

Condition: Some stabilizations and retouching.

Description: Large male sarcophagus mask with polychrome paint. He wears a yellow-blue striped tripartite wig with black decoration at the end and a long false beard. A large black scarab is painted on the head. Around the neck a broad necklace in yellow, carmine and blue. The outlines of eyes, ears and brows are in deep black. A large, impressive example. Published in: J. Jacobs, “Pertinent and Impertinent“, Arts and Antiquities Magazine, 1976, pp. 18-19. Accompanied by a copy of this article.