Death
Mask
Definition
In Western cultures,
a death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a
person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or
be used for creation of portraits. It is sometimes possible to identify
portraits that have been painted from death masks, because of the
characteristic slight distortions of the features caused by the weight of the
plaster during the making of the mold. In other cultures a death mask may
be a clay or another artifact placed on the face of the deceased before burial
rites. The best known of these are the masks used by ancient Egyptians as part
of the mummification process, such as Tutankhamon’s burial mask. In the seventeenth century in some European
countries, it was common for death masks to be used as part of the effigy of
the deceased, displayed at state funerals. During the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries they were also used to permanently record the features of unknown corpses
for purposes of identification. This function was later replaced by
photography.
Assignment
You will be making
your own death mask and unlike how they would of done it back in the 1800's by
pouring hot wax on your face we will be using either a photo or mirror as a
reference and you will carve your likeness out of clay. This clay likeness will
then be your stand in to create the mold, once it has been carved you will pour
hot wax on it and this will make a mold. After we have a wax mold we will pour
plaster into that wax mold which will harden and create your final death mask.
Once we have this death mask we need a container for it. The second part of
this assignment is to build a box or frame to hold your mask. Make this
container in a way that might tell a story about you or convey your
personality.
Materials
clay
wax
plaster
Vaseline
wood
clay carving tools
mirror or photo of self
Examples
clay
wax
plaster
Vaseline
wood
clay carving tools
mirror or photo of self
Examples
