What is Death mask?
[[File:Ned Kelly death mask.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Ned Kelly]] death mask]] In the [[17th century]] in some [[Europe]]an countries, it was common for death masks to be used as part of the [[effigy]] of the deceased, displayed at state funerals. During the [[18th century|18th]] and [[19th century|19th centuries]] they were also used to keep a record the faces of unknown bodies. This is now done with [[photograph]]s. [[phrenology|Phrenologists]] and [[ethnography|ethnographers]] used both death masks and life [[mask]]s (taken from living people) for scientific and [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] purposes. A '''death mask''' is a [[wax]] or [[plaster cast]] made of a person’s face. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or used for creation of [[portrait]]s. It is sometimes possible to tell if paintings have been copied from death masks, because shape of the face is altered by the weight of the plaster during the making of the [[Molding (process)|mould]]. In some cultures a death mask may be a clay or other item placed on the face of the dead person before [[burial]] rites. The best known of these are the masks used by [[ancient Egypt]]ians as part of the [[mummification]] process, such as [[Tutankhamun|Tutankhamon]]’s burial mask. In the [[17th century]] in some [[Europe]]an countries, it was common for death masks to be used as part of the [[effigy]] of the deceased, displayed at state funerals. During the [[18th century|18th]] and [[19th century|19th centuries]] they were also used to keep a record the faces of unknown bodies. This is now done with [[photograph]]s. ==History== ===Sculptures=== Masks of dead people are a tradition in many countries. The most important process of the [[funeral]] ceremony in ancient Egypt was the mummification of the body. After prayers and consecration, the body was put into a [[sarcophagus]] decorated with gold and gems. A special part of the rite was a sculpted mask, put on the face of the dead person. This mask strengthened the spirit of the mummy and guarded the soul from