Cartonnage mummy mask from Balansura (Upper Egypt) 1st quarter of 2nd century CE, Roman Period at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria

Cartonnage mummy mask from Balansura (Upper Egypt) 1st quarter of 2nd century CE, Roman Period at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria.
Cartonnage is a type of material used in Ancient Egyptian funerary masks from the First Intermediate Period to the Roman era. In a technique similar to papier-mâché, scraps of linen or papyrus were stuck together with plaster or resin and used to make mummy cases and masks. It could be molded to the shape of the body, forming a type of shell. After the material dried it was often painted or gilded. and decorated with geometric shapes, deities, and inscriptions. During the Ptolemaic era, the single shell method was altered to include four to six pieces of cartonnage. There would generally be a mask, pectoral, apron, and foot casing. In certain instances there were two additional pieces used to cover the ribcage and stomach. The materials used to produce cartonnage changed over time. In the Middle Kingdom it was common to use plastered linen, during the Third Intermediate Period, linen and stucco, during the Ptolemaic period, old papyrus scrolls and during the Roman period, thicker fibrous materials. Reusing papyrus that was considered waste was a common practice during the Ptolemaic period. Many discarded documents from the government and archives were used for this purpose so cartonnage has proved to be a valuable archaeological resource.


Image: Cartonnage mummy mask from Balansura (Upper Egypt) 1st quarter of 2nd century CE, Roman Period at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in Vienna, Austria. Image courtesy of the museum.

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