LARGE SARCOPHAGUS MASK In polychrome wood Egypt, Late Period, 664-332 BC H. 46.4 cm An important polychrome stuccoed wooden sarcophagus mask, representing the deceased in an idealised, eternal form. The face, painted bright green, symbolises regeneration and rebirth in the afterlife, a colour associated with Osiris, god of the dead and resurrection. The features are finely rendered, with almond-shaped eyes emphasised by long lines of kohl running across the temples, and delicately painted arched eyebrows. The chin is adorned with a braided false beard, an attribute of immortality and divinity, outlined in black and gold. The head is adorned with an imposing tripartite wig with alternating yellow and blue stripes, the sides of which fall symmetrically over the shoulders and chest. At the top of the skull is a scarab, a solar symbol of rebirth and transformation. The bust is adorned with a wide ousekh necklace with horizontal bands striped in bright colours - crimson, blue and green - typical of Egyptian funerary ornamentation. The shoulders and chest are decorated with vertical bands of stylised petals, a recurring motif in funerary iconography. Good overall condition with largely preserved polychromy. Some areas of old repainting. Patina of use on the surface of the wood. Provenance : Former Christian Levett collection Sale at Bonhams, London, 29 April 2009, no. 91 A large Egyptian wooden sarcophagus mask. Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C. Large sarcophagus mask in stuccoed and polychrome wood, representing the deceased in an idealized and eternalized form. The face, painted in vivid green, symbolises regeneration and rebirth in the afterlife, a colour associated with Osiris, god of the dead and resurrection. The features are finely rendered with almond-shaped eyes outlined with extended cosmetic lines extending to the temples, and delicately painted arching eyebrows. The chin is adorned with a plaited false beard, an attribute of immortality and deification, delineated in black and gold. The head is crowned with an imposing tripartite wig with alternating yellow and blue stripes, whose sections fall symmetrically over the shoulders and chest. At the crown of the head appears a scarab, solar symbol of rebirth and transformation. The bust is adorned with a broad usekh collar with horizontal bands striped in vivid colours - crimson, blue, and green - characteristic of Egyptian funerary ornamentation. The shoulders and chest are decorated with vertical bands of stylized petals, a recurrent motif in funerary iconography. Good overall condition with largely preserved polychromy. Some areas of old repainting. Usage patina on wood surface.