26th Dynasty - Late Period (663-525 BCE) Egyptian Sarcophagus Mummy Mask

Hand-carved mask made from Lebanese cedar.

Sarcophagus masks (or mummy masks) in Ancient Egypt served as crucial funerary tools, designed to protect the deceased's soul, ensure recognition of the body by the Ka, and provide an idealized divine face for the afterlife.

The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) was the last native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although other brief periods of rule by Egyptians followed). The dynasty's reign (664–525 BC) is also called the Saite Period after the city of Sais, where its pharaohs had their capital, and marks the beginning of the Late Period of ancient Egypt.

Approximate size: 10 inches tall x 8 inches wide x 4.5 inches deep

Provenance: Purchased from the collection of James Hilty in Holly, Michigan, 2002