Bead-work Mask

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Bead-work Mask

Artist Unidentified

Period Late Period (Ancient Egyptian, 664–332 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 21 (Ancient Egyptian, 1070–945 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt

Date21st Dynasty (1069–945 BCE), about 1000 BCE

Dimensions6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (16.5 × 16.5 cm)

MediumEgyptian faience and bone

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1906.183

Not on View

DescriptionBeads strung on string

Label TextA feature of Late Period Egyptian burials is the covering of the mummy with a network composed of faience beads. They are found on mummies of both sexes. Faience is the oldest artificial substance, first made (probably in Egypt) 5,500 years ago—a millennium before glass, which it often resembles, was invented. The beads consist of a fired silica body containing small amounts of alkali that is covered with opaque colored glaze.Comparative ReferencesSee also Bosse-Griffiths, Kate, "Some Egyptian Bead-Work Faces in the Wellcome Collection at University College, Swansea, "Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 64, 1978, pp. 99-106, pls. XV and XVI (xerox in this file).