Death masks are an invention that has come into the modern world from the depths of centuries. 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 mankind 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 do posthumous masks of people
The reasons for creating such casts are various. Death masks are often considered 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 in this way not only the faces of prominent representatives of the human race are perpetuated.
Posthumous masks are extremely useful in creating monuments. Not always the sculptor manages to accurately reproduce the facial features of the deceased, relying solely on photographs and especially on portraits. The presence of the cast greatly facilitates this task, which positively affects not only the reliability of the appearance, but also the cost of the work.
Finally, such products may be useful in expert practice. The mask reproduces the structure of the face without distorting the size. With its help, the smallest details are displayed.
Let's turn to the history
As already mentioned, posthumous masks are not the invention of our contemporaries. The oldest product that people know about was created back in the 16th century BC. This is a cast made from the face of the deceased pharaoh Tutankhamun. Initially, not the last role in the funeral rite was assigned to the masks; dead people were buried with them. Then they began to be regarded as an independent value, preserved for posterity.
The material from which the casts were made was determined primarily by the status that the deceased had during his life, 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 to create them.
Preparatory work
Having figured out why death masks are made, one can turn to the technology of their creation, which is a very interesting process. Casts can be created directly at the place of detection of the dead body, it is also possible to produce them in the morgue. Of course, this procedure is carried out before forensic experts open the corpse.
How do posthumous masks do? 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 should remain intact, so the cream is applied with a thin layer. Toweling the head with a towel is necessary in order to keep a gypsum mask on your face. Be sure to close the lower part of the neck, hide the ears and crown.
Production technology
Making a death mask begins with creating a plaster mold. This material is diluted until it reaches a consistency corresponding to the density of sour cream. Ocher serves to ensure that the mass has acquired a flesh color, sometimes other dyes are also used.
The following is the application of the substance to the entire face, for which a brush or spoon is taken. The work is traditionally carried out 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 on the lower edge. Chipping edges are attached with glue. Further, the form is processed with petroleum jelly, is located upward with the hollow part, filled with gypsum. The wire frame serves to fix it.
The final stage is the separation of form from positive. Sometimes you have to use a wooden hammer. Here's how posthumous masks do. Interestingly, this technology has not changed for many decades.
The most creepy masks
Everything that has to do with death evokes, to one degree or another, intense fear. 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 removed from the water, did not contain any signs of violence. Her face was so beautiful that surprised by the pathologist could not resist the creation of a plaster cast. The plaster "portrait" of the smiling deceased was replicated in endless copies. Poetry even dedicated poems to the girl, among whom was Vladimir Nabokov, who was impressed by the death mask. The photo can be seen above, the girl on it seems alive.
Among the terrible casts can be attributed to the one that was made from the face of the composer Beethoven. The ingenious creator died in 1827 from an illness that managed to make his features creepy.
Riddles
Why do posthumous masks do? It is possible that in order to share with descendants secrets that have remained unsolved for centuries. Among the most discussed by our contemporaries casts from the past can be attributed to that made from the face of the great William Shakespeare. He was discovered in 1849 in a junk shop.
Researchers still have not come to a consensus about whether this is really his “portrait” and whether the author of immortal works really existed. One of the suggestions made is that all the images of Shakespeare, captured on paper, are made from posthumous masks. As evidence, the proponents of the theory cite a certain lifelessness of his portraits.
There are other posthumous masks of great people, surrounded by attractive secrets. An example is the cast from the face of Gogol, who went to another world in 1852. Legend has it that a classic was put in a coffin alive while he was in a lethargic dream, 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 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 posthumous masks of great people can also be considered as peculiar evidence devoting humanity to the circumstances of their death. It was such a detail that the mold from Yesenin’s face, made on the second day after the death of a genius, became at one time. A study of the poet’s facial features immortalized with the help of a mask gave reason to believe that his death was violent. This refutes the verdict of forensic experts - suicide.
Interestingly, the legend received an official refutation when in the 1990s the investigating authorities returned to a mysterious case. After researching the evidence and conducting experiments, the suicide of the writer of beautiful poems was confirmed.
The works of Sergey Merkurov
The famous sculptor has created over 300 such products during his life, among his works there are also posthumous masks of great people. The popularity of his Mercury is due to his most famous order. It was he who happened to perpetuate the face of Lenin after death. According to 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 Merkurov his own bust, but he did not have time to make it.
Sergei had the opportunity to create other posthumous masks of the 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 hand casts 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 his eyes are about to open, and his lips open.
Disservice
The poet Mayakovsky, who during his lifetime earned the title of singer of the revolution, committed suicide in 1930, using a pistol. At that time, Merkurov was already a famous 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 take a cast from his own face.
Legend claims that this request was not quite ordinary. Mayakovsky wanted his mask to not resemble any of Merkurov’s earlier creations. In a way, the sculptor fulfilled his will. The writer’s face turned out to be distorted, especially a twisted nose. This work is always mentioned among the worst works of Sergey Merkurov.
Secret face of Pushkin
It is known that Alexander Pushkin left this world after prolonged suffering. The wound received during the duel killed the poet for two days. Nevertheless, his posthumous mask does not reflect the torment of genius. On the contrary, it creates a feeling of spirituality, indicates absolute calm. Contemporaries who knew Pushkin during his life are surprised at how accurately the product reproduces the features of his face.
It was possible to establish that a 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 Samuel Galberg.
Why is the posthumous mask now, when relatives are left with numerous photographs of the deceased person, videos with his participation? Each of us independently decides whether he needs such a cast or is it better to remember the deceased alive.