Death masks of great people. How and why are death masks made?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

Death masks are an invention that came to the modern world from time immemorial. They are a cast made from the face of the deceased. To create them, plastic materials (mainly gypsum) are used. It was these products that allowed modern humanity to get a clear idea of the appearance of many famous people who lived in the distant past, to better understand the circumstances of their death.

Why people make death masks

The reasons for creating such casts are different. Death masks are often regarded as family heirlooms. Such products can be preserved for centuries, traveling from generation to generation. Thanks to them, descendants know what their distant ancestors looked like. It is not surprising that not only the faces of prominent representatives of the human race are immortalized in this way.

Death masks are extremely useful when creating monuments. Far from always the sculptor succeeds in accuracyreproduce the facial features of the deceased, relying solely on photographs and even more so on portraits. The presence of a cast greatly facilitates this task, which has a positive effect not only on the reliability of the appearance, but also on the cost of the work.

Finally, such products can be useful in expert practice. The mask reproduces the structure of the face without distorting the dimensions. It shows the smallest details.

Let's turn to history

As already mentioned, death masks are not an invention of our contemporaries. The oldest product known to people was created in the 16th century BC. We are talking about a cast made from the face of the deceased pharaoh Tutankhamen. Initially, not the last role in the funeral rite was assigned to the masks, the dead people were buried with them. Then they began to be considered as an independent value, to be preserved for posterity.

The material from which the casts were made was determined primarily by the status that the deceased had during his lifetime, the financial situation of his heirs. They were even made of gold, wood, clay and gypsum were also used. The first copies were often decorated with paintings, precious stones were used in their creation.

Preparatory work

Having figured out why death masks are made, we can turn to the technology of their creation, which is a very interesting process. Casts can be created directly at the site of the discovery of a dead body, it is also possible toproduction in the mortuary. Of course, this procedure is carried out before the medical examiner performs an autopsy.

How are death masks made? The process begins with the preparation of the body. The face and hair of the deceased are carefully treated with petroleum jelly, it can be replaced with almost any cosmetic cream. The microrelief of the skin must remain intact, so the cream is applied with the thinnest layer. Tying the head with a towel is necessary in order to keep the plaster mask on the face. Be sure to close the lower part of the neck, hide the ears and crown.

Production technology

Making a death mask starts with creating a plaster mold. This material is diluted until it takes on a consistency corresponding to the density of sour cream. Ocher is used to make the mass acquire a flesh color, sometimes other dyes are used.

Followed by the application of the substance to the entire face, for which a brush or spoon is taken. Work is traditionally done from the forehead. The first layer is characterized by a thickness of 1 cm, subsequent layers increase this figure to 2-3 cm. After hardening, the form is removed from the face, taking hold of the lower edge. The chipping edges are attached with glue. Further, the form is processed with petroleum jelly, located upwards with a hollow part, filled with plaster. The wire frame serves to fix it.

The finishing stage is the separation of the form from the positive. Sometimes you have to use a wooden hammer for this. This is how death masks are made. Interestingly, this technology has not changed infor many decades.

The creepiest masks

Everything that has to do with death causes a strong fear in humanity to one degree or another. However, there are posthumous "portraits" that make a particularly frightening impression. An example of such a product is a cast from the face of a drowned woman who died in France in 1880. The girl went down in history under the name of the Stranger from the Seine.

The body of a 16-year-old drowned woman, when it was removed from the water, did not contain signs of violence. Her face was so beautiful that the astonished pathologist could not resist making a plaster cast. The plaster "portrait" of the smiling dead woman was replicated in endless copies. Poets even dedicated poems to the girl, including Vladimir Nabokov, who was impressed by the death mask. The photo can be seen above, the girl on it seems to be alive.

The one made from the face of the composer Beethoven can be attributed to the number of terrible casts. The ingenious creator died in 1827 from an illness that managed to make his features creepy.

Cast-riddles

Why are death masks made? It is possible that in order to share with posterity the secrets that have remained unsolved for centuries. Among the casts from the past most discussed by our contemporaries is the one made from the face of the great William Shakespeare. It was discovered in 1849 in a junk shop.

Researchers have not yet come toconsensus on whether this is really his “portrait” and whether the author of immortal works really existed. One of the assumptions made is that all the images of Shakespeare imprinted on paper are made from death masks. As evidence, supporters of the theory refer to a certain lifelessness of his portraits.

There are other death masks of great people, surrounded by attractive secrets. An example is a cast from the face of Gogol, who went to another world in 1852. Legend has it that the classic was placed in a coffin alive while he was in a lethargic sleep, before creating a mask. Followers of the theory refer to the exhumation of the body, the results of which in 1931 confirmed the eerie version. Allegedly, the skeleton was turned on its side, twisted. Those who do not believe in the theory insist that the writer himself is to blame for the rumors, during his lifetime he told friends and relatives about the fear of being buried alive.

Cast evidence

The death masks of great people can also be considered as a kind of evidence, dedicating humanity to the circumstances of their death. It was precisely such a detail that at one time became a cast from the face of Yesenin, made on the second day after the death of a genius. The study of the poet's facial features, immortalized with the help of a mask, gave reason to assume that his death was of a violent nature. This refutes the medical examiner's verdict of suicide.

Interestingly, the legend received an official denial when the investigating authorities returned again in the 1990sto the mystery. After examining the evidence and conducting experiments, the suicide of the writer of beautiful poems was confirmed.

Works by Sergey Merkurov

The famous sculptor has created over 300 such items in his life, among his works there are death masks of great people. Merkurov owes his popularity to his most famous order. It was he who happened to perpetuate the face of Lenin after his death. According to the legend, the man was invited to Gorki at the height of the night, where Nadezhda Krupskaya was already at the head of the dead leader. It is believed that Lenin ordered his own bust to Merkurov, but he did not have time to make it.

Sergey had a chance to create other death masks of great representatives of the human race, including the writer Leo Tolstoy. It is interesting that it was then that the sculptor came up with the idea of making casts of hands as well. According to people who saw the result of the work, the “portrait” turned out to be frighteningly “alive”. When looking at it, it seems that the eyes are about to open, and the lips part.

Disservice

The poet Mayakovsky, who during his lifetime earned the title of singer of the revolution, committed suicide in 1930 using a pistol. Merkurov was then already a well-known sculptor, whose fame was brought mainly by the death masks of great people. It is not surprising that it was his poet who asked in advance to make a cast of his own face.

Legend claims that this request was not quite normal. Mayakovsky wanted his mask not to resemble anyone earlier creation of Merkurov. In a way, the sculptor did his will. The writer's face turned out to be distorted, especially the crooked nose. This work is always mentioned among the worst works of Sergei Merkurov.

The mystery of Pushkin's face

It is known that Alexander Pushkin left this world after prolonged suffering. The wound received during the duel killed the poet within two days. Nevertheless, his death mask does not reflect the torment of a genius. On the contrary, it creates a feeling of spirituality, indicates absolute calmness. Contemporaries who knew Pushkin during his lifetime are surprised at how accurately the product reproduces the features of his face.

It was possible to establish that the wonderful idea to preserve such a cast was born in the head of Vasily Zhukovsky, who was in close friendly relations with the poet. She appeared when he saw how peaceful the face of a great man became after death. The product, which was then repeatedly used to create busts and sculptures of the poet, was created by Samuil Galberg.

Why a death mask now, when relatives are left with numerous photographs of a deceased person, videos with his participation? Each of us decides for himself whether he needs such a cast or is it better to remember the deceased alive.