Isaac Scott Hathaway
1872-1967
Portrait Mask of a Man
c. 1940
plaster
10 x 7 x 7-1/2 inches
unsigned (these were not signed)

REF: Isaac Scott Hathaway 1874-1967, Sculptor. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff , 1996
Provenance: Private collection, Tuskegee, AL


A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. Similarly, life masks were also made, and the process was similar. This tradition was evident as early as The Middle Ages and continued through the early 20th century. Many important people were the subjects of either life or death masks, and many well known artists employed this technique. Abraham Lincoln was the subject of two different life masks. Napoleon, Beethoven and Voltaire were all the subjects of death masks.