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Coffin: E.3.1906

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An image of Coffin
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Current Location: In storage

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Description

Gypsum plaster mask from a Roman coffin. The mask represents a man with curly, close-fitting hair, moustache and short beard. The plaster face, neck and ears of the mask were cast in moulds, then joined. The hair and beard have been modelled separately and applied, giving an individual appearance to the head. The eyes are made from glass sheets. The mask was painted to give a naturalistic appearance and was set down onto a surround made of layers of plaster and linen placed over the head and shoulders of the mummy. Most of the fragile structure has been lost, but where it survives below the back of the head, faint traces of a painted design are visible. Other masks from the same mould were apparently made in a workshop near Tuna el-Gebel.

Measurements and weight

Height: 34 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought

Dating

Roman
Production date: circa AD 0150

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: E.3.1906
Primary reference Number: 63618
Oldadmincategory: Misc

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Friday 18 July 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Antiquities

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Coffin" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/63618 Accessed: 2025-12-13 17:08:08

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/63618 |title=Coffin |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-13 17:08:08|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

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https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-63618

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/ant/ant48/E_3_1906_1_201411_jas244_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Coffin"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Coffin</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

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