Mummy Mask of Psusennes I

Ancient Egyptian The Gold Mask of Psusennes I rivals Tutankhamun's famous mask in craftsmanship, though far fewer visitors know it. Created around 1000 BCE during the Third Intermediate Period, the mask covered the mummified face of a pharaoh who ruled from Tanis in the Nile Delta. The gold sheet is inlaid with lapis lazuli and glass, depicting the king with the traditional nemes headdress and divine beard.

Pierre Montet discovered Psusennes's intact tomb at Tanis in 1940, during World War II. The timing prevented the spectacular finds from receiving the attention given to Tutankhamun. Yet the burial equipment rivals the famous boy-king's treasures, with silver coffins and gold jewelry demonstrating that later pharaohs commanded equal wealth and artistic skill.

The mask is displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum, finally receiving recognition alongside Egypt's most famous funerary art.