Masks were placed over the heads of mummies, and the oldest one goes back to the Middle Kingdom. They are made from pieces of linen or papyrus coated with a layer of plaster on which the wig, face, and neck of the deceased were painted. They are not portraits of the deceased, but rather exhibit idealised traits. This mummy mask dates to the 18th Dynasty, and is distinguished by a heavy wig, decorated with a lotus flower which hangs down onto the forehead, and a broad collar made up of golden annular beads, semi-precious stones, and floral designs.
M.-P. Vanlathem, Oudegyptische lijkkisten en mummies - Cercueils et momies de l'Égypte ancienne, Bruxelles 1983, 28-29
Dynastie en cultuur - Dynastie et culture (Exposition), Bruxelles 1990, 56
J. Walgrave, Het labo van de verleiding. Geschiedenis van de Make-up - The Laboratory of Seduction. History of Make-up (Exposition), Antwerpen 1998, 66 nº 10
E. Varga, Napkorong a fej alatt, Boudapest 1998, 99-100 et fig. 9
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