Project Death Mask

Ludwig Van Beethoven Death Mask

2009-03-15T13:58:00.006-04:00

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Ludwig Van Beethoven (December 16?, 1770 – March 26, 1827), was a German pianist and composer, and one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time. His cause of death, during a thunderstorm, has been widely attributed to complications arising from dropsy (abominal swelling caused by the accumulation of fluids), cirrhosis of the liver, and possible lead poisoning.

Joseph Dannhauser, a young artist, took Beethoven's death mask on Mar. 28, two days after the composer's death. This death mask shown is most likely a replica from the original mold.

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Pope Pius IX Death Mask

2009-03-15T04:25:00.009-04:00

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Pope Pius IX (May 13, 1792 – February 7, 1878), born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was Pope from June 16, 1846 until his death. His was the longest reign in Church history, lasting 32 years. He defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which decreed that Mary, mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin, and that she she had lived a life completely free of sin.

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Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum (Volin) Death Mask

2009-03-15T03:55:00.007-04:00

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Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum, also known as Volin, was born on August 11, 1882. During his lifetime, he was recognized as a leading leading Russian anarchist and participated in numerous movements against the Russian government. He was the author of The Unknown Revolution, 1917-1921, which was published posthumously after his 1945 death in Paris, France of incurable tuberculosis.

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Death Mask (Unauthenticated)

2009-03-14T02:19:00.026-04:00

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It has been recorded that Mozart's death mask was made by Count Josef Deym von Stritetz on December 5, 1791 shortly after Mozart's death on that day. Like all such masks of its time, Mozart's death mask was likely made of gypsum. Neither the original, nor a copy reportedly made for Contstanze Mozart survives. The death mask in this photograph is reported to be an unauthenticated bronze copy which was discovered in 1947. It is on display within Mozart's home in Vienna, Austria.

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Abraham Lincoln Death Mask (Life Mask)

2009-03-14T00:38:00.004-04:00

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Abraham Lincoln's death mask is in fact a life mask, and was made before his assassination, not after. Furthermore, two of these life masks were produced by two separate individuals. The first was made by Leonard Volk in Chicago, Illinois, in April 1860. The second life mask was produced five years later by Clark Mills, on February 2, 1865 in Washington D.C. It has been described as the most reliable document of the Lincoln face, and far more valuable than the photographs of that time, for it exists in actual form. The life mask pictured is that which was produced by Mr. Polk.

Death Mask : Usage Through the Middle Ages

2009-03-13T21:44:00.002-04:00

The history of modern death mask usage in Western cultures can be traced back to the Middle Ages. During this period, there was a shift away from the sculpted death mask to the death mask made of wax or plaster. These death masks were originally used in funeral ceremonies, but were not interred with the dead. After the funeral, they were later kept in libraries, museums, universities, and private collections.

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Death Mask : Early Usage in Western Civilization

2009-03-13T21:35:00.001-04:00

Through the ages, death masks were not always reserved to those of nobility. They were often taken of persons held in high regard, such as poets, musicians, scholars, and dignitaries. The lifelike appearance of Greek and Roman portrait sculpture has been attributed to those cultures’ use of wax to preserve the features of the deceased. Using these wax casts, portraits, reliefs, busts, and sculptures were later made using more durable materials.

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Death Mask : Introduction and Definition

2009-03-13T19:31:00.002-04:00

In Western societies a death mask is usually a wax, clay, or plaster cast that is made of a person’s face following death. Through the ages, death masks have been prepared for a number of reasons. Because well-prepared death masks were accurate models of a deceased’s face, they were often used as funeral effigies, to serve as models for paintings and sculptures, and to permanently record the features of unknown corpses for the purpose of identification.

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