Ancient Egytian Mummy Cartonnage

This Ancient Egyptian mummy cartonnage was made for a woman named An-Ankh-Rat. The cartonnage is made from linen bandage, soaked in plant gum to make it set in the required shape. The face mask is carved from wood. The outer surface of the cartonnage is covered in gesso, a mixture of gum and chalk powder and is painted in natural pigments using gum as a binder. The cartonnage has a hieroglyphic inscription at the feet. It was excavated at the Necropolis of Herakleopolis Magna by Édouard Naville for the Egypt Exploration Fund, London in 1891 and came to the McLean Museum in the same year.