What is a death mask?
Q: What is a death mask?
A: A death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face. It can be used as a memento of the deceased, or to create portraits.
Q: How were death masks used in some European countries during the 17th century?
A: In some European countries during the 17th century, it was common for death masks to be used as part of the effigy of the deceased, displayed at state funerals.
Q: How were they used in the 18th and 19th centuries?
A: During the 18th and 19th centuries, they were also used to keep a record of faces of unknown bodies. This is now done with photographs.
Q: What purpose did phrenologists and ethnographers use them for?
A: Phrenologists and ethnographers used both death masks and life masks (taken from living people) for scientific and pseudoscientific purposes.
Q: Are there any cultures that use clay or other items on dead people's faces before burial rites?
A: Yes, in some cultures a death mask may be a clay or other item placed on the face of the dead person before burial rites. The best known example are ancient Egyptian masks which were part of their mummification process such as Tutankhamon’s burial mask.
Q: Is it possible to tell if paintings have been copied from death masks?
A: Yes, it is sometimes possible to tell if paintings have been copied from death masks because shape of the face is altered by weight of plaster during making process when creating moulds for casting them.
