Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman
1st century C.E.
1 of 13
Caption
Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman, 1st century C.E.. Linen, gesso, gold leaf, glass, faience, 23 x 14 x 9 in. (58.4 x 35.6 x 22.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 69.35. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman
Date
1st century C.E.
Period
Roman Period
Geography
Possible place made: Hawara, Egypt
Medium
Linen, gesso, gold leaf, glass, faience
Classification
Dimensions
23 x 14 x 9 in. (58.4 x 35.6 x 22.9 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
69.35
Frequent Art Questions
This is from the 1st century CE, when Romans ruled ancient Egypt, but Egyptian funerary beliefs and rituals were still followed.
This is almost like a portrait of the woman who this cartonnage was made for, so she's depicted wearing her finest jewelry.Tell me more.
The heavily gilded mummy mask is an especially ostentatious demonstration of the owner's wealth. You may have noticed that it looks quite a bit different from the other mummy masks nearby.This woman's clothing is distinctly Roman, but this object serves an Egyptian religious function (to adorn the mummy). The blue eyebrows are a surprising and telling detail.The ancient Egyptian believed that the gods had hair made of lapis lazuli, a blue stone. The woman's blue eyebrows tell us that she hopes to join the Egyptian gods in the afterlife.
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