Unusual Antique HEAVY BRONZE CAST Death Mask of Paul Gauguin(after), RARE

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Unusual Antique HEAVY BRONZE CAST Death Mask of Paul Gauguin(after), RARE:
$400.00

Up for sale is an amazing historical treasure, a rare Heavy Bronze or possibly mixed metal and bronze Casted Death Mask of Paul Gauguin! It is in excellent condition with no noticeable damage or flaws. It is a very high quality cast with high detail including a relief hole at the base to assist with metal expansion and contraction so that the mask retains its form over the many years. There is also a copper ring loop which was installed when casted into the back of the piece to hang it if desired. The Gauguin death masks have occasionally come up for sale at some of the finest sale houses and sell for $2,000-$3,000. Feel free to do a google search for PAUL GAUGUIN DEATH MASK SALES and see for yourself. Unknown foundry and edition size or visible markings, very rare item. Appropriate wear for the age, very minor with no noticeable defects, in excellent condition it is ready to hang. It measures about 8 3/4 x 10 1/2 tall and it weighs 3 pounds, 12.5 ounces.
Our business consists of purchasing antique historical items out of estates and homes in the Maryland, Pennsylvania and DC region, and many of our clients are Universities and Museums. We also like to offer some of our items to the most discerning collectors. We will be adding many more items and unusual antiques over the next few days so please add us to your favorite sellers if you have interest. Thanks for looking and please feel free to ask any questions. Happy offerding!From Wikipedia:

A death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It is sometimes possible to identify portraits that have been painted from death masks, because of the characteristic slight distortions of the features caused by the weight of the plaster during the making of the mold. In other cultures a death mask may be a clay or another artifact placed on the face of the deceased before burial rites. The best known of these are the masks used by ancient Egyptians as part of the mummification process, such as Tutankhamun’s burial mask.

In the seventeenth century in some European countries, it was common for death masks to be used as part of the effigy of the deceased, displayed at state funerals. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they were also used to permanently record the features of unknown corpses for purposes of identification. This function was later replaced by photography.