Gold Mask of Tutankhamun
unknown (Egyptian (ancient)); Tutankhamen

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Alternative Title
Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun
Date
-1332--1322Description
Frontal view of the mask which protected the head, shoulders and upper chest of the mummy; Tutankhamun [Nebkheperure] (reigned ca. 1332-ca. 1323 BCE)was an ancient Egyptian king of the late 18th Dynasty. His virtually intact Theban tomb (numbered KV 62) was discovered at the Valley of the Kings, in 1922, by Howard Carter. The art of Tutankhamun's reign epitomizes the immediate post-Amarna style. The mask fulfilled the magical function of acting as a substitute for the deceased's head, in case this should be lost. It also identified him with Osiris and Re, besides endowing him with the attributes of various other deities connected with the concept of rebirth. Tutankhamun's solid gold mask (Cairo, Egyptian Museum.), inlaid with lapis lazuli, quartz, cornelian and coloured glass, illustrates the extremely high quality of royal workshop products. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 1/15/2008)
Type of Work
sculpture (visual work)Subject
death or burial, decorative arts, portraits, rulers and leaders, Tutankhamen, King of Egypt, New Kingdom (Egyptian), Eighteenth Dynasty
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only