What color was the Mask of Agamemnon?

gold
The Mask of Agamemnon is a gold funeral mask discovered at the ancient Greek site of Mycenae. The mask, displayed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, has been described by Cathy Gere as the “Mona Lisa of prehistory”.

What is Agamemnon’s death mask?

The Golden Mask of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae: The Mask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered in Mycenae in 1876 by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. This mask is made of gold and is a funeral mask found over the face of a dead body in a burial place at Mycenae.

What are the characteristics of the death mask of Agamemnon?

Mask of ‘Agamemnon’ A death-mask, it was made from a thick sheet of metal hammered against a wooden background, with the details chased on later with a sharp tool. It illustrates the dignified image of a man with an oblong face, wide forehead, long fine nose and tightly closed thin lips.

Is the Mask of Agamemnon made of gold?

The mask was created by hammering gold into a thin leaf over a wooden form. It is three-dimensional and includes cut-out ears, full detailed facial hair, and eyelids that appear open and closed simultaneously. Because of its uniqueness it has come to be representative of gold-work from the age.

Is the Mask of Agamemnon fake?

Made of gold, the real mask was found in a Mycenaean grave in 1876 by the “notorious” archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who “claimed it belonged to the legendary Greek king Agamemnon.” The mask actually dates from around 1550–1500 B.C.E., an earlier period than Agamemnon’s, so it’s not his.

What were the purpose of death masks?

commemoration of the dead Funerary masks were frequently used to cover the face of the deceased. Generally their purpose was to represent the features of the deceased, both to honour them and to establish a relationship through the mask with the spirit world.

Where were the gold mask found?

A 3,000-year-old ceremonial gold mask has become an unexpected social media sensation in China after its recent discovery in Sichuan province. The artefact was one of 500 Bronze-Age relics found at the Sanxingdui archaeological site.

Where was the death mask of Agamemnon found?

To that point, “Agamemnon Death Mask” is a misnomer, Maurizio explains. Made of gold, the real mask was found in a Mycenaean grave in 1876 by the “notorious” archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who “claimed it belonged to the legendary Greek king Agamemnon.”

What kind of plastic is the Mask of Agamemnon made of?

In A Brief Account of E. Gilliéron’s Beautiful Copies of Mycenaean Antiquities in Galvano-plastic, the sales catalogue for the replicas, they were described as “exact imitations of the objects in Galvano-Plastic, in which the forms, no less than the brilliancy and colours of the metals, are faithfully reproduced.”

What was the face of the death mask made of?

The mask was a death mask, and made of a thick sheet of gold hammered against a wooden background. A sharp tool was used later to chisel the finer details. The mask is said to depict the face of a man with “an oblong face, wide forehead, long fine nose and tightly closed thin lips.”

Where was the gold mask of Mycenae found?

The museum is home to thousands of spectacular treasures, but the gold masks are the stars. Heinrich Schliemann discovered the masks in 1876, while excavating in Mycenae, Greece. Three of the gold masks were discovered in Grave IV and two in Grave V.