Miniature Theatrical Mask

Unknown

2nd century A.D.

Ivory

J. Paul Getty Museum

The mask is likely that of a comic figure. The brow is deeply furrowed and the wide, incised eyes are accentuated by the wrinkles of the brow. The nose is sharp and hooked, and hangs over a widely gaping mouth with upturned corners. The hair of the wig, indicated by incised lines, is swept back away from the face. The interior is hollow, and the round form of the reverse may allow for the insertion of a support. True, Marion, and Kenneth Hamma, eds. A Passion For Antiquities. Ancient Art from the Collection of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman, exh. cat. (Malibu: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 1994), p. 356, cat. no. 276.