Egyptian Gilt Cartonnage Sarcophagus Mask . Romano Egyptian Period, Circa 1st to 2nd Century AD. , Finely modeled polychrome and gilt painted plaster mummy mask of a young man, with arms folded across chest, wearing an elaborate collar and lappets. The face with full lips, ample gilding and white painted almond eyes with outlines, pupil and brows in black. Chips to the border. There is a 2 inch crack along cheek repaired; the hands have visible losses. The piece has some restoration to chips in wig and lappets. Size: 16-1/2 inches (41.8 cm) Height x 10-1/2 inches depth (26.6cm) + custom mount. Provenance: Ex Antique Dealer Estate Roger Meyer of Rogers Treasurechest, Oregon. Roger Meyer was living at an Oregon hotel when he got a certified letter postmarked from Nebraska that told him he was a rich man.A storage container in Lincoln full of ancient artifacts, appraised at $200,000, had been turned over by a bank to state officials, who determined Meyer was the rightful owner. It’s not clear exactly when this happened, but the curious incident was covered by a Nebraska newspaper in 2009.Meyer was excited. Before falling on hard times, officials believe, he’d once run an antique store. (His phone was registered to a company called “Roger’s Treasurechest,” although this couldn’t locate it in historical records.) He’d forgotten about the box, assuming it had been long lost after he stopped making payments to the bank. He gave detailed instructions on how to send the contents west, according to a story in the Lincoln Journal Star.And that’s how this Egyptian funeral mask ended up at an Astoria apartment building, along with an ancient Phoenician dagger and several Roman clay pots dating back to the first century CE. Despite his poverty, Meyer never sold the artifacts. He died in 2019, deep in medical debt, with the treasures piling up in a cluttered Astoria apartment. Art For Eternity authenticated the mask and bought it from another source who was able to acquire it at the estate auction. .. Compare similar examples in Ancient Faces; Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt by Susan Walker and Morris Bierbrier, British Museum, no 149. 16608