Masks
The mummy was fitted with a mask that covered the face and sometimes the whole head. The mask protected the head and gave the mummy a beautiful face with golden skin, just like the gods.
The masks’ appearance varied during different time periods. During the Greco-Roman period the influence of Greek art can clearly be seen in the more individually crafted plaster masks that often were
part of the coffin.
Another type of mask was the painted wood panels that were laid on the mummy’s face.
The first masks of this type were found in the Faiyum. Therefore they are called Faiyum portraits, even though they are found all over Egypt.
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Above the entrance:
Funerary cones
Cones of fired clay decorated the facades of graves, principally in Thebes, from the Middle Kingdom onwards. They varied in size and were with or without inscriptions. The inscriptions listed the tomb owner’s name and titles. A number of tomb cones bear traces of red colour.
The function of the cones has been interpreted in various ways. Their form is reminiscent of Egyptian offering bread, but the round plate might also symbolise the sun. The cones might also imitate the roof beams that protruded from Egyptian house facades. The red colour was then to imitate wood.
Over time the connection between funerary cones and roof beams was lost. The cones were primarily seen as decorative elements and as a way to highlight the deceased’s name.