MASK OF DIVINITY Earthenware H. 5.7 cm Middle Euphrates, Palaeo-Babylonian period, 2nd millennium BC Provenance Drouot Richelieu Paris, Archaeology, 30 September-1 October, 1999, lot 593 Christie's NY, Antiquities, 20/04/2005, lot 74 The face has schematic but expressive features: large, finely modelled almond-shaped eyes with thick eyelids, a straight, protruding nose and a mouth suggested by slight modelling. The eyebrows are rendered by an arched relief above the eyes, giving the whole an expression of divine serenity and hieratic majesty. On the sides of the face, on either side of the temples and ears, are several circular perforations aligned vertically (five perforations visible on the right-hand side), probably intended for attaching the mask to a support (statue, stele, votive panel) or for attaching it for ritual or processional wear. The earthenware is a creamy-beige colour with lighter shades and a few earthy concretions indicating archaeological burial. The reverse is relatively flat and smooth, confirming that this was an applied mask. A Paleo-Babylonian White Glazed Frit Mask of a Goddess, 2nd Millennium BCE. Votive mask fragment in faience representing the face of a deity, treated in relief with characteristic stylization of 2nd millennium Mesopotamian art. The face presents schematic but expressive features: large almond-shaped eyes finely modeled with thick eyelids, straight protruding nose, mouth suggested by slight modeling. The eyebrows are rendered by an arched relief above the eyes, giving the ensemble an expression of divine serenity and hieratic majesty. On the sides of the face, on either side at temple and ear level, several circular perforations aligned vertically are visible (five perforations visible on the right side), probably intended for fixing the mask on a support (statue, stele, votive panel) or for attachment for ritual or processional wearing. The faience presents a beige-cream colour with lighter nuances and some earthy concretions indicating archaeological burial. The reverse is relatively flat and smooth, confirming this was an applied mask.