Mummy Mask of Satdjehuty
Provenance unknown
New Kingdom, early Eighteenth Dynasty (about 1500 B.C.)
Cartonnage, painted and gilded, Height 13 in.
EA 29770, acquired in 1880, purchased at Morten & Sons from the sale of the collection of Samuel Hull (cat. no. 106)
©Trustees of The British Museum, Courtesy AFA

Made of cartonnage—linen stiffened with plaster—this mask represents a woman named Satdjehuty, who was a royal attendant in the court of King Ahmose. It was placed over the head of her wrapped mummy. The rich gilding reveals Satdjehuty’s high rank and also symbolizes the godlike status of a deceased person. Like a deity, Satdjehuty has a skin of gold and hair the dark blue color of lapis lazuli.