Mask of Kay-neferwy
This mummy mask of Kay-neferwy was excavated by Mohammed Zakaria Goneim, Keeper of the Antiquities of Saqqara, at Saqqara, during his first season (1951-1952).
The mask of Kay-neferwy has an extraordinary presence with its combination of glass inlaid eyes, gilt face with shimmering, almost lifelike translucence, and realistic wig. The craftsman who fashioned the wig out of thick resin carefully cut and modelled the plaits of hair in the latest style.
The purplish, reddish “gold” colouring of her skin-a result of oxidation on the metal surface. It may have been a purposeful design, or merely the product of the sulphurous fumes given off by the resinous wig. The band around her head, her eyes, and her nipples are inlaid with glass, surprising because glass was as costly and rare as the turquoise and carnelian for which it was substituted.
Saint Louis Art Museum. 19:1998
The roughened surface of the mask’s lips suggests they were once covered with a heavier gold foil. In each hand, she holds a wooden amulet to signify strength and welfare. A delicate scene carved in relief on her arms shows her successful ascent into the afterlife on the “boat of the Great God” Osiris.
Summary:
Mummy Mask of Kay-neferwy
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1292-1189 BC.
Materials: Wood, Gold, Glass, Linen, Resin.
From Al-Jizah, Giza.
Now in the Saint Louis Art Museum. 19:1998
