Mummy-mask of Satdjehuty
- Audio guide stop: 367
- Gallery: Room 62
- Culture: 18th Dynasty
- Date: 1500BC (circa)
- Object type: mummy-mask, cartonnage
- Materials: linen; plaster; gold
- Museum number: EA29770
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is the mummy-mask of Satdjehuty, a stunning artifact that once covered the face of an Egyptian noblewoman. This cartonnage mask—layered with linen and plaster—is gilded in gold and painted with vivid colors, including a rich lapis lazuli shade for her luxurious wig. Her wide collar, vulture headdress, and feathered wings reflect protective symbolism associated with deities like Isis.
Though the woman’s name was once written in hieroglyphs along the mask, it has now been lost. However, nearby inscriptions link her to the name Satdjehuty, someone praised by Queen Ahmose-Nefertary, wife of Pharaoh Ahmose I. Scholars believe the mask likely belongs to the same individual whose name appears on related textiles in the collection.
Made during the 18th Dynasty around 1500 BC, the piece is a fine example of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship, combining artistry with deep religious meaning.
See it in person
Mummy-mask of Satdjehuty is on display in Room 62 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 367, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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