Egyptian Mummy Mask

Mummy Mask, 332 BC – 330 AD
Egyptian, late Ptolemaic – early Roman period
Linen, plaster, gold leaf, pigment; 14 x 12.75 in.
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. Ward
Bowers Museum #2003.38.1

This mummy mask dating from the late Ptolemaic to the early Roman period was placed over a deceased body in combination with other cartonnage pieces such as a foot case and breast plate. Cartonnage (linen covered with plaster) coverings severed as protection to the body; additionally cartonnage masks provided an idealized portrait, in no sense a true likeness, of the deceased. This gilded mask is painted with figures of the gods Osiris and Isis, hieroglyphs and a red medallion at the crest of the head. The use of gold not only marks the status of the deceased but, is meant to emulate the golden skin of the gods.

Remarkably, a true portrait of the deceased remains embedded in this mask. A digital image of the interior reveals the face of the young deceased male, possibly achieved when the embalmers laid layers of linen and plaster over his face to form an impression for the mummy mask. The angle the photograph was taken in combination with the lighting creates the illusion a protuberant and even more lifelike portrait.


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Ceremonial Yao Painting

Ceremonial Painting, 20th century
Yao people, China
Paper, natural pigment and fiber; 45 x 19.5 in
Bowers Museum #2002.47.30
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Long Shung and Anne Shih

The Yao people live throughout southern China with some populations found throughout northern areas of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand. The Yao practice a form of Taoism, and paintings of the pantheon of divine beings play an essential role in the function of their religious ceremonies. The painting pictured here is just one that makes up a complete set of twenty-four ceremonial Yao Taoist paintings. Three layers of soft brown paper are joined together and attached to round wood supports at each end. Ideally a priest (if available) is commissioned to make each set of paintings which he creates in a purified religious space, and ceremoniously names each divine being after completion. Ceremonial paintings are commissioned by men who desire to ascend into priesthood and owning a set of ceremonial paintings is necessary for this to occur. New sets of paintings are also commissioned by families wishing to replace their old or tattered ones. The entire set of images when hung covers two or three sides of a room with some overlapping occurring.

This particular image shows three of the six Marshals whose painted images are hung at each end of every complete set of paintings. The Marshals are protectors who ward of demons and impurity. The large central figure, Marshal Teng, is green in color, has wings hanging from his arms and two tusks that extend from his mouth. He is associated with thunder which he may use to sever demons. The smaller figures below represent Marshal Hsin, a Judge who holds in his arms the Book of Acceptance and Marshal K’ang who is associated with healing the sick and known as being a lover of wine and animals.

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Baule Spirit Mate

Spirit Mate, late 19th – 20th century
Baule people, Ivory Coast
Wood, bead, paint and kaolin; 10.5 in H
Gift of Dwight V. Strong
Bowers Museum #82.31.14

This Baule carved figure of a female was carved to embody a spirit mate. Each individual is thought to have a partner of the opposite sex in the spirit world. If an individual is experiencing problems or difficulties, marital or sexual for example, it likely indicates the unhappiness or feelings of neglect of the spirit mate. When personal troubles of this nature arise they may be relayed to a diviner who recommends the troubled individual to commission the carving. The carving allows the spirit to take a human form which may be communicated with and made offerings to. The spirit mate is given personal care by cleaning and rubbing with oil; food offerings are placed in tiny dishes before the figure.

The figural carving is crafted with marks of Baule idealized beauty: long neck, large calves, serene expression and rounded breasts and belly. The beaded double necklaces and belts, hairstyle and scarification patterns are individual marks of this female spirit mate.


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Marquesas Islands Bowl

Bowl, 19th Century
Polynesian Culture, Marquesas Islands
Wood , 7 in. height x 18 in. diameter
Purchased with Bowers Acquisition Funds
Bowers Museum #2004.34.1

This carved wood bowl from the Marquesas Islands has a diameter of 18 inches making it remarkable in size compared to other known examples in museum collections. The broad interior of the bowl is smooth with repeating triangular designs along the flattened rim. The exterior is highly ornamented throughout with low-relief geometric designs. Seven wedge shaped sections divided into three rectangular panels radiate from the round symmetrical pattern at the base which is a stylized face. There is a symbolic relationship linking concepts of body and face to Marquesan art objects; the most recognizable of these is the tiki figure that reoccurs throughout a range of sculpture.

Relatively little is understood about the complexities of early Marquesan art since culturally relevant information was indefinitely lost in the later 19th century from the result of rapid changes in population, tourism and exchange through trade or sale. Intricate geometric designs adorned a variety of carved Marquesas objects and it is believed that, at least in some cases, these designs relate to the intricate tattoo patterns that covered the bodies of both Marquesas men and women.

Marquesan art, people and the islands themselves have been highly influential among writers such as Herman Melville, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London and artist Paul Gauguin, all who spent time there.

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