Masko

Fabric + form = a mask that uniquely fits your face
Form-fitting clothing is not always governed by sartorial choice. The global pandemic, for example, has underscored the need for face masks that effectively seal around the nose and mouth. But faces and their features differ from one person to the next and can render one-size-fits-all face masks less effective. Well-fitting masks have proved to be a sought-after accessory.

MASK OF TUTANKHAMUN

The mask of King Tutankhamun 
(c.1336–1327 BC) is one of the most readily recognized icons in Egyptian art. It was found on the king’s mummy buried in the Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern Luxor. The tomb was discovered by the English archaeologist Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in November 1922.

The youthful king is shown wearing a nemes, a striped royal headcloth, with the heads of a vulture and a cobra – the symbols of the protective goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet. He has a ceremonial beard attached to his chin and a broad collar with hawk-head terminals around his neck. Heavy cosmetic lines accentuate the king’s eyes. The mask is made of gold with inlaid semi-precious stones, glass, and faience. An inscription from the so-called Book of the Dead is incised on the back.

The face is the most important identifying feature of a person, and in order to preserve it the ancient Egyptians affixed a mask over
 the mummy’s shoulders and head. This does not mean that we should regard Tutankhamen’s mask as his portrait; it was, rather, an idealizing image that conformed to the established Egyptian notions of how this king was represented.