".... it is no use taking such a little figure as mine........... it will do my drawings an injury; people will say such a little fellow as this can never draw" - JMW Turner

The Story

Turner's Death Mask

Plaster cast of JMW Turner's death mask, attributed to Thomas Woolner, 1851 (254mm high). On display at Tate Britain.

History of the Death Mask

The creation of a death mask was the first documented procedure associated with the preservation of an individual's appearance after death (Figure 3). There has been evidence of their creation for thousands of years in virtually every civilisation. This evidence was first discovered in an Egyptian grave dating 1370 b.c. The ancient Egyptian funerary practice of mummification is well documented (Wilkinson, 2004; Macleod & Hill, 2001; Prag & Neave, 1997; Wilkins, 1990) and the image depicted on the enamelled sarcophagus reveals the true facial feature of the occupant; the death mask, e.g. Tutankhamen.

Creation of the Death Mask

Death masks were created by covering the face of the deceased with plaster, creating a negative plaster mould, which was then cast with wax. The ancient Greeks believed that the creation of a wax death mask was a supernatural event and the masks were revered as magical objects (Source). Creation of death masks was popular in Roman burial ceremonies as a mode of commemoration. The medieval Christian period showed a revival in their production which continued through to the seventeen century and were displayed as effigies at funerals (later to be replaced by photography) (Wilkinson, 2004).

Death Masks and Art

Portraits from death masks can be identified by the characteristic distortions of the face (which can be ever so slight) caused by the weight of the plaster while the mould was taken, as well as post-mortem flaccidity of the face (Taylor, 2001). These distortions are most apparent around the jaw-line. Death masks were first appreciated as an art form by the renaissance artists, who viewed and appreciated them on the same level as sculpture and fine art. It was these Italian artists who first introduced wax modelling to the medical world (Source).

Death Masks and Identification

Death masks are commonly utilised for the identification of historical figures. The earliest documented attempt of this was in 1867 by the anatomist Hermann Welcker, where he compared measurements of the skull with the death mask of Dante. He repeated his method again in 1884, confirming the identity of the Italian renaissance painter Raphael and the great philosopher, Immanuel Kant (Taylor,2001; Clement & Ranson, 1998). He did this by creating outline drawings of the skull and death mask, then superimposing one over the other, taking into consideration the soft tissues; the development of the 2D superimposition technique (Wilkinson, 2004; Prag & Neave, 1997). In 1909, Tandler used the same method to identify Hyden (Wilkinson, 2004).