Mask in the form of the jackal head Anubis, ancient Egyptian god of
embalming and the dead. It is made of cartonnage, layers of linen and
papyrus, stiffened with plaster and then painted. It is one of only
three surviving masks made for the living and the only one allowing the
wearer to speak. It would have been worn by a priest over 2000 years
ago, during funeral rituals such as the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony
when the mouth, eyes, nose and ears of the mummy were touched to restore
the senses.
This mask once had a home in the North Yorkshire farmhouse of Benjamin
or 'Benny' Kent. (1884-1968). Benny was a farmer from Tatefield Hall,
Beckwithshaw, near Harrogate. He had inherited his interest in
archaeology and much of the collection from his father Bramley. The
collection was displayed upstairs in Tatefield Hall until Benny's death
in 1968, when it and other Egyptian objects were left to The Royal Pump
Room Museum in Harrogate.
