AN EGYPTIAN POLYCHROME AND GILT CARTONNAGE MUMMY MASK LATE PTOLEMAIC – EARLY ROMAN PERIOD, c. 1ST CENTURY BC

the head cover in the form of a female head, the gilt face depicted with large almond-shaped eyes with black pupils, below blue cosmetic lines and eyebrows, above a straight nose and gently upturned lips, framed by an echeloned tripartite wig decorated with gold spacers and decorated with an Eye of Horus, stand

Collection of Donald O. Boudemann (1880-1949), Kalamazoo, Michigan, acquired in the early 20th century.
Collection of Carl Shelby, Muncie, Indiana, and thence by descent.
Sotheby's New York, 12th December 1991, lot 47.
A private collection, United Kingdom.

As visible in the catalogue photo, there are characteristic breaks, losses and flaking to the area around the face, as expected of a Mummy of this age and fragility, and restoration to stabilise the cracks. The gold pigments on the face are preserved well, with just age crackling to the surface and some minor losses. There are several areas of retouching to the gold pigment on the face, especially the tip of the nose and the corner of the right eye, and small spots of retouching to the black pigments on the iris of the eyes.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For related examples see Günter Grimm, Die römischen Mummienmasken aus Ägypten [Roman mummy masks from Egypt], Wiesbaden, 1974, pls 1-4, and Sue D'Auria, Peter Lacovara, and Catharine H. Roehrig, Mummies & Magic: the Funerary Arts of Ancient Egypt, Boston, 1988, p. 202, no. 151.

When this mask was sold at Sotheby's in 1991 it was sold together with several lesser Egyptian antiquities, displayed with the mask in a shadow-box.

Donald Boudemann owned at least one other Egyptian object, an entire mummy with its case, acquired in San Francisco in 1910, and given to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in 1928.