The stunning, gold funeral mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun is considered to be one of the most highly artistic, complex, and beautiful pieces of art crafted by the ancient Egyptians. Tutankhamun, or better known as “King Tut”, reigned from 1332-1323 BC. His name translates to “The living image of Aten.” He was considered to be an atrocious ruler, even at nine years old, unlike his father before him. Under his ruling, he made many changes to Egypt that were unpopular with the people. Tut made complete religious changes to Egypt primarily, as he forced the people to follow Monotheism; Aten, the sun God. The death of Tutankhamun is not entirely known, but it is speculated …show more content…
A cobra can also be found on the mask, which is thought to represent the ruling Tutankhamun had over lower Egypt. This magnificent piece of artwork, obviously, was created as a funeral mask for a Pharaoh. It was hoped that Tutankhamun would have an appealing afterlife with the mask of solid gold. This mask, and other funeral masks, also served a purpose other than for decoration. They were worn to preserve the body in the afterlife. These masks fully covered the faces, to ensure that the spirit of the dead person was able to recognize the body. The masks of Pharaoh were almost always made of gold, no matter how popular they were with the people. Traditionally, masks were made from a material-like paper soaked in carbon, then molded in a wooden …show more content…
Based on the knowledge of the mask of Tutankhamun, and the artwork of the Egyptians, you can deem that the Egyptians carefully crafted each and every piece of artwork that they created. Each and every piece of artwork that they created had historical significance. Much of their artwork painted a picture of their culture and religious beliefs. For example, the ruins and tombs told how important afterlife was to them. You could tell how wealthy or politically powerful a person was by the make of their tomb. Obviously, those who were more powerful had tombs filled with riches. The Egyptians created many pieces of jewelry and pottery to be put into these tombs, in hopes that this person would have a good afterlife. Hieroglyphics were also written on the walls of the tombs, only to be used in their next life. The hieroglyphics often told stories or gave information that was valuable to the deceased. The mass number of tombs eventually lead to the creation of the Pyramids, which are not only some of the largest man-made structures, but also some of the most