Egyptian Gallery Egyptian mask of Titos Flavios Demetrios (tactile)
Synopsis
Hawara, Egypt, AD 80-120, excavated in 1888 by Flinders Petrie; cartonnage, like papier mache but using linen and plaster of paris covered in gold leaf with the inner surface painted; 45 cm high by 34 cm wide and 24 cm deep (from back of head to tip of nose).This is a 2,000-year-old mummy mask from the Roman period. It shows the face of a man whose name we know, because it's written on the mask: Titos Flavios Demetrios. He was living in Egypt but was of Greek descent - descended from the soldiers Alexander the Great had put into Egypt. What we don't know is how he became a Roman citizen.
The gold mask was designed to fit over the head of the mummy a bit like a large helmet and was to give the dead person the powers of gods and thus helping them with their journey to the afterlife. The face is carefully moulded with the facial features clearly shown. The eyes, painted white with black outline, pupils and eyebrows, stare directly at you. Surrounding the face is a long headdress, similar in style to Lady Tahathor that forms the outer edges of the mask. This mask shows in raised relief Osiris on his throne, with Isis and Nephthys acting as mourners. On either side are birds, the hawk god Horus and Ba or soul-bird. At the base are eight underworld gods wearing sun discs and holding feathers to observe Anubis attending to the mummy of Titos. The inner surface of the mask, not designed to have been seen, is left undecorated.
The tactile image shows the side view of the mask to show how it would have fitted over the mummy and the shape of the face. It is about half the size of the actual mask. The shape of the mask and facial features are outlined with a texture for the headdress. Thinner lines, a different texture and solid texture show some of the raised relief on the headdress. Solid texture also shows the eyebrow, eye and mouth.