Behind the Mask - Archaeometric Analysis of Four Gilded Romano-Egyptian Mummy Masks from the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

This study investigates the materials, production techniques, and craft involved in the creation of gilded mummy masks from ancient Egypt, focusing on four masks from the collections of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. These masks, dating from the 1st century BCE to the 2nd century CE, are an example of the dual existence of traditional Egyptian style and the new Roman stylistic elements. Various analytical methods, including imaging FTIR, SEM-EDS, and palaeoproteomic analysis, were employed to identify and examine the composition of the materials. The results show the main components of plaster to be gypsum and calcite. Red and yellow ochre were sometimes used in preparation layers for gilding, which was made with silver-containing gold leaf. Four masks is not representative of major changes in gilding techniques, but the study does reveal information about the methods and materials available, including preferences and variations in ancient Roman Egypt.