Mummy Mask of a Man Consisting of the Face Only. Plaster, Lips: 1 1/8 x 4 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (2.9 x 10.8 x 12 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 48.183a-d.

Such masks appear to have been created by coating the linen wrappings on the head of a mummy with plaster. So, while it’s not a “death mask” in the modern Western sense of the term, it was meant to portray the deceased. Only a few such plaster masks are known, and most of them date to the Old Kingdom (circa 2675–2170 B.C.E.). Very soon after, plaster masks went out of fashion, and were replaced by more elaborate and durable masks or head coverings made of wood, cartonnage and other materials.

This mask was excavated in tomb G 6104A in Giza, Egypt, by the Harvard-Boston expedition. In 1948 the fragile mask arrived to the Brooklyn Museum in four crumbling pieces. In this state, the fragments did not appear to amount to much of an image, and were carefully placed in our storerooms. But, with the wonderful work of our conservators, who put the pieces back together, the mask revealed a delicate face.

We discussed the best way to display this wonderful object. Although we have a pretty good idea of the original appearance of the mask, we simply could not know what the missing pieces were like. For this reason, we did not to fill in any of the losses. This meant that a hole in the middle of the mask would be very apparent and the color and kind of fabric for the backing had to be chosen. After some discussion, we finally decided on a fabric resembling the appearance of mummy wrappings—a neutral beige linen.

Kerith Koss was responsible for conserving the mask and creating its mount so that it could be properly displayed. The task of arranging and holding the fragments correctly required elaborate treatment. She told me about the work:

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The result is fantastic! Come and see the beautiful face made over 4000 years ago—it’s on display now.

Figurine of Woman, ca. 3650 B.C.E. - 3300 B.C.E. Terracotta, painted, 8 3/4 x 1 9/16 x 2 in. (22.2 x 3.9 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 07.447.501.

Like our “Bird Lady,” the “Female Figure with Stump Arms” was also made five and a half thousand years ago, and comes from a nearby tomb in Ma’mariya. Although this female figure is missing her head, she is just as delicate and charming as the better known “Bird Lady.” You may notice that her arms are stubbed rather than upraised. She’s an example of another type of figurine from the site of Ma’mariya that have these particular abbreviated “stub-arms.”

You’ll find her in our Egypt Reborn galleries in May, and she will remain on view with her more complete partner, the “Bird Lady,” when she returns from her venture across the river in August.

Female Figure, ca. 3500-3400 B.C.E. Terracotta, painted, 11 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 2 1/4 in. (29.2 x 14 x 5.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 07.447.505

In addition to being stunningly beautiful and graceful, our “Bird Lady” is one of the most ancient objects in the Museum. She was excavated by Henri de Morgan in 1907 from Tomb 2 at the site of Ma’mariya in Egypt, which dates to about 5,500 years ago. Female Figurines of this type are extremely rare and this is the best preserved example. That is why we very much wanted her to be part of The Dawn of Egyptian Art exhibition.

The Dawn of Egyptian Art is on view at the Met from April 10 to August 5, 2012.

Several other important objects from the Predynastic (circa 4400-3100 B.C.E.) and Old Kingdom (circa 2675-2170 B.C.E.) sections of Egypt Reborn accompanied our Bird Lady across the river, so be on the lookout for Brooklyn Museum objects just across the way.

Pair Statue of Nebsen and Nebet-ta, ca. 1400-1352 B.C.E. Limestone, painted, 15 3/4 x 8 9/16 x 9 1/4 in. (40 x 21.8 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 40.523.

Nebsen and his wife, Nebet-ta, lived at the end of the 15^th century B.C.E., but this statue on view in the museum, was commissioned by their son, Weserhat, only after they died. Like today, fashions changed in ancient Egypt, and since Weserhat lived during the reign of Amunhotep III (circa 1390-1352 B.C.E.), he ordered the sculpture to be carved in the style of the day. Just compare the large almond-shaped eyes, curved eyebrows, broad noses and full sensuous lips of Nebsen and Nebet-ta with Amun-Re or Amunhotep III.

Amun-Re or King Amunhotep III, 1403-1365 B.C.E. Quartzite, 7 11/16 x 5 5/8 x 3 15/16 in. (19.5 x 14.3 x 10 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 76.39.

Have you ever noticed that ancient Egyptian statues all look like the ruling pharaoh? Most likely, Nebsen and Nebet-ta did not actually resemble the king, but the artists were not striving to make portraits. By adopting the ruler’s features the artist associated the persons he was depicting with the king. This way, they could magically receive protection and reward in the afterlife, just like their king.

The inscriptions on the back of the object identify the owners by name. They also tell us that Nebsen was a scribe in the royal treasury, and Nebet-ta was a singer in the temple of Isis. The texts on this statue also describe the food and drink offerings for the ka-spirits of Nebsen and Nebet-ta.  The inscription here wishes that Nebsen have “a fine memorial in his town, and that his ka-spirit be nourished daily…” The ancient Egyptians believed that one’s ka-spirit, created at the time of birth, continued to exist in this world after the person died. This is why sculptures like this, known as ka-statues, were created. They were placed in tombs or temples, and were thought to serve as a home for the ka-spirit, a place where it could receive offerings from the living family and the gods.

Nebsen’s offering formula appeals to the god Amun, One Enduring of Everything. Nebet-ta’s text connects this statue with the Brooklyn Museum because it summons Mut, the Lady of Isheru, whose temple precinct at Karnak is being excavated by the Brooklyn Museum expedition.