Death Masks of the Famous
It was the tradition for many centuries for death masks to be made of monarchs, artists and politicians in the time directly after their demise. Take a look at the many faces of death.
Modern sensibilities may find them rather morbid but before the age of photography there was a limit to the amount of visual mementos available to those left behind after the decease of a loved one. They were also used for other purposes, such as to record the features of unknown corpses or in burgeoning scientific methodologies. It was the better off who would normally have a death mask created and as such we are left with a surprising record of famous faces from the past. As expensive as they were, the death mask remains an intriguing testament to the time post mortem of many of the world’s famous people.
Ludwig van Beethoven
One of the most acclaimed composers of all time, Beethoven is justly famous for composing much of his work after he became completely deaf. This condition led him on many occasions to consider committing suicide but it wasn’t that which killed him. He first fell ill in 1825 and was bedridden for four weeks – a period which gave him the inspiration to write the Fifteenth Quartet, himself calling it a ‘song of thanks’. Good health was not to continue as in December 1826 he was inflicted by terrible bouts of diarrhea and vomiting which almost killed him. The year after it did.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock dealt with death any number of times in his films – murder most horrid quite often – and in his death he retains a certain air of petulance. He had a career that spanned six decades and most people are surprised to hear that he died as late as 1980. He directed over fifty feature films and is regarded by many as the most influential British film maker of all time. He died of renal failure in California at the age of eighty. It is somewhat ironic that the film-maker who made generations of moviegoers wet themselves with fright should die of a kidney related illness.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln’s face is still one of the most immediately recognizable in the world, despite the fact that he was assassinated almost one hundred and fifty years ago in 1865. The sixteenth President of the United States, he was expecting an enjoyable night out at the theatre and what he got instead was a single shot to the head the bullet from which lodged six inches inside his brain. The assassin’s shot was timed to coincide with what was (it seems) considered the funniest line of the play ‘Our American Cousin’. So it was that the last words Lincoln heard were, in all probability ‘You sock-dologizing old man-trap’.
The Making of
The making of a death mask is a messy business – literally. They are difficult to make and the best position for the corpse is not lying down but sat up (as you can see in the picture). The shift from sculpture to masks came about in the Middle Ages when the art of waxwork and plaster casting became more sophisticated. The tradition evolved from royalty to eminent people and continues to this day. Another use, rather than in memoriam for an individuals was for the scientific study of human physiognomy. It was said that experts could tell criminals from the shape of their heads. Casts were also used to record and collect data on the racial differences in the human head.
Ned Kelly
Bank robber, police killer and gang member, Kelly is probably the most famous Australian ever, Kylie Minogue and Dame Edna Everage aside. He is a hero to many – a Robin Hood figure and for two years was an outlaw on the run. When the police finally caught up with him he was hanged by the neck until he died. As was British law at the time no records were kept as to the disposal of his body (as he was a condemned man. However, following the practice of the time his head was given to phrenologists to study and the above death mask was made. The skull, when returned to the police, was used as a paperweight.
Thomas Paine
If you are an American reading this, then you have a lot to thank the man above for your ability to live, be free and pursue happiness wherever you may go. In 1791 he wrote the Rights of Man, the definitive guide to the ideas of the Enlightenment period and is one of the Founding Fathers of the USA. He died in 1809 at home. The New York Citizen recorded the event – ‘He had lived long, did some good and much harm’ so the people were not too thankful at that particular point. Nor was he to be left in peace either. Some years after his death the radical thinker William Cobbett dug up his remains and took them to the UK, planning to give him a burial fit for a hero. He still had them twenty years later when he expired himself and nothing has been heard of them since, bar claims which cannot be properly verified.
Woodrow Wilson
The 28th President of the United States, Wilson played a pivotal role in both the First World War and took personal control of the negotiations of the Armistice. He is less fondly remembered for his rather dubious ideas about racial supremacy. His mother was a hypochondriac – a tendency Wilson inherited himself somewhat. Having said that he had his first stroke at the age of thirty nine and then one in 1919 which left him severely debilitated. He died in 1924 of complications arising from the earlier stroke.
Dante Alighieri
Dante died in 1321 and is best remembered for his Divine Comedy, considered one of the Italian language’s finest masterpieces, and a landmark in world literature. He finished his great poetic work and expired soon afterwards. Although records are sparse it is thought that he was on his return to Ravenna from a diplomatic mission to Venice. Venice was known then for its swampy surround which were full of malaria carrying mosquitoes and it is thought that one of these bit Dante. He was fifty six, which seems young now but was not a bad age in the Middle Ages at all.
Oliver Cromwell
Instrumental in killing a king and changing the course of British history, Oliver Cromwell was best known for making England in to a Republican Commonwealth – many years before the French or the American Revolutions. That period, known as the Inter-regnum, was interrupted by the return of the Monarchy. Cromwell had died in 1658 from a combination of what had done for Hitchcock and Dante – malaria and a kidney infection. It is thought that following his kidney infection he died from septicemia. He is one of the few people ever to be recorded as being executed after his death. On the restoration f his monarchy his remains were exhumed. His body was thrown in to a pit and his head was stuck on a pole outside Westminster Hall for four years. Gruesome.
Richard Wagner
Opera may not be your cup of tea but Wagner is one of those immediately recognizable names when it comes to that particular musical genre. He is probably best know for his the Ring Cycle, composed of four operas and the epitome of the synthesis of the poetic, musical, visual and dramatic arts. Or a complete and utter yawn-fest if it isn’t your cup of tea. Venice is what did him in too – he suffered a heart attack there in 1883 following years of suffering with angina.
Napoleon Bonaparte (aka Napoleon I)
It was a case of most certainly not tonight, Josephine for Napoleon in May 1821. The French Emperor, who had dreamed of occupying the whole of Europe (and almost had) died of stomach cancer, as had his father. It was a good enough explanation for his English captors at any rate – who wanted to avoid any possible accusations of mistreatment. Arsenic poisoning has long been suspected but this was ruled out finally in 2007. A death mask in French is know, FYI, as a masque mortuaire – fairly easily translatable!
Erwin Rommel
In 1944 Rommel’s part in the plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler had been exposed but that gave the German leadership quite a problem. To tell the German people, who worshipped Rommel, that he was a traitor to Nazism would without doubt weaken morale. What happened next is hotly debated. There are two separate stories, one where Rommel kills himself in a car and the other which has him shot by the German police. Whichever is true, it was certainly a case of murder or forced suicide. Rommel himself is considered universally to have been a chivalrous and humane office. One example of this would be his downright refusal to out of hand kill Jewish soldiers in each and every one of his battles. He remains the only Third Reich member of the establishment to have a museum in his memory.
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User Comments
chris73
On August 8, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Interesting article. I made once one of mine head but i was not dead!
Glynis Smy
On August 8, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Interesting article, I have not seen many of these before.
David Crerand
On August 8, 2009 at 2:10 pm
fascinating stuff. Obviously you don’t have to be handsome to have this done.
Steve Newman
On August 8, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I have a death mask of Oliver Cromwell. It’s a copy that was made for Dublin Museum, who, in the end – and probably wisely – decided they didn’t want it.
Francois Hagnere
On August 8, 2009 at 3:03 pm
And what about Napoleon’s mask by Antommarchi?
Judy T Lloyd
On August 8, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Strange but interesting.
R J Evans
On August 8, 2009 at 6:34 pm
That is coming, Francois! I found it difficult to find a copyright free image of Boney, but now I have expect the addition soon!
Mr Ghaz
On August 8, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Well done! Excellent!..that was great article and very interesting read. Nice topics..well presented as well. I liked it. Thanx for sharing this magnificent work.
Lauren Axelrod
On August 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Wow, these are incredible. How did you find these RJ?
Ruby Hawk
On August 8, 2009 at 10:57 pm
R. J. These are amazing and all the details are interesting.
Bill M. Tracer
On August 9, 2009 at 12:07 am
Fascinating.
Juancav
On August 9, 2009 at 1:44 am
Fascinating famous masks ,is like a 3 d dimension photo.Great.
Francois Hagnere
On August 9, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Thank you so much dear RJ. Your article is indeed very interesting. May I just add that there are 8 masks of Napoleon, the official one being by Antommarchi (the forehead being an invention by the Emperor’s doctor). A mask is also kept in the Baden Museum and said to have been taken when Napoleon was alive. I am sure you will add new famous masks to your list. Please keep up the good work, my friend.
Very best wishes,
François
Jen
On August 9, 2009 at 5:29 pm
WOW, I am shocked at how much Napoleon resembled Christopher Reeve (Superman)!
historigal
On August 9, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Amazing and wonderfully written. Thank you very much for this work. So that’s how Richard Wagner looked like, for a love-frustrated man, he looked so peaceful in his death.
I’m your new fan!
Jeremy James Noye
On August 9, 2009 at 9:29 pm
What a great article. It’s so interesting to see the faces of all these people considering most of them are pre-photography era. Thanks!
Preston Carew
On August 9, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I was thinking the exact same thing, Jen. Also, the one you have of Lincoln is not a “death mask”, it was made when he was alive. In fact, the thing in his right hand is a broom handle that Lincoln broke off to keep his hand clenched because he had shaken so many hands that he couldn’t do it himself
RJ Chamberlain
On August 10, 2009 at 2:46 am
My fav has to be Alfred Hitchcock. Nice work as always.
RJ
Rana Sinha
On August 10, 2009 at 2:48 am
Very interesting. Why did they make death masks – as a record or a tool to help create statues later? Is it still common to make death masks?
DA Cournean
On August 10, 2009 at 5:59 am
Wow! Definitely spooky!
Uma Shankari
On August 10, 2009 at 11:11 am
Very interesting. But for these masks that preserve the famous faces for posterity, we may be left with images of Hollywood actors who choose to enact these roles later.
Emma C S
On August 10, 2009 at 11:21 am
Excellent article, as always. Death mask are creepy… there’s Admiral Nelson’s one in Portsmouth, I remember seeing it when I was younger, it was rather unnerving.
thestickman
On August 10, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Amazing work! Stunning!
Were these made \’after death\’ or also \’in life?\’ I recall reading something about the Lincoln \’death mask\’ in high school, -that two masks were made(?) In the first one, the breathing straw up his nose collapsed under the weight of the clay and he nearly suffocated, and clawed the clay from his face.
Settled and assured, they re-did it and this time, with success.
Ah Lincoln! -Like that old humor-joke \”…except for that unfortunate incident last night, -how\’d you enjoy the play Mrs. Lincoln?\”
He\’s never been type-cast correctly in the films I guess, -this face is haunting and scary.
…
I like Dante\’s death mask the best I think. -He actually looks like a instructor at the college that I am fond of.
Bonaparte just looks scary.
Solange Prado
On August 10, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Those mask are awesome. I loved the Napoleon’s mask, but I think that the one from Lincoln is really creepy =T
Joe Dorish
On August 10, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Pretty cool, Hitchcock’s mask is almost as scary as some of his movies.
Sonora
On August 10, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Cool, never really heard of death masks- at least I never knew they were called ‘death masks’- but exploring really opens you up to new things.
fishfry aka Elizabeth Figueroa
On August 10, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Great Article, evern thou some were weird or scary looking.
Death Mask, interesting ideas
clafleur
On August 11, 2009 at 1:22 am
those look real
Anne McNew
On August 11, 2009 at 5:55 am
wow! very interesting article. I like it.
Athlyn Green
On August 11, 2009 at 7:11 am
I returned to this article. Bookmarked. Well done.
Ferdine
On August 11, 2009 at 7:12 am
Excellent article, fascinating and macabre. I thought Dante’s mask was amazing, like a Renaissance sculpture.
Have you seen F.W. Murnau’s mask?
Payge
On August 11, 2009 at 11:15 am
Until I read this,the only death mask I knew about was King Tuts gold mask but figured there was more then his out there.Great article and pictures to match.
Fernando T.
On August 11, 2009 at 12:51 pm
…Creepy, yet still interesting…
beldobie
On August 11, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Great article, really enjoyed the facts although the masks are kind of creepy. My kids think both the info and the pics are marvelous.
Darla Smith
On August 11, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Very interesting article!
Lostash
On August 11, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I hadn’t seen a single one of these death-masks! Thoroughly enjoyed this article! 10/10 !
nobert soloria bermosa
On August 11, 2009 at 6:25 pm
interestingly cool stuff,
cebuanaeyez
On August 11, 2009 at 6:51 pm
unusual and very creepy. great article as always.
overwings
On August 12, 2009 at 3:13 am
Great work. People really wirte about the most unexpected topic. It was very interesting.
pretel_srv
On August 12, 2009 at 2:07 pm
ronaldo !!!!!
minbori
On August 13, 2009 at 7:17 am
Interesting info and pics! One pedantic comment, this sentence made me giggle: “This condition led him on many occasions to commit suicide but it wasn’t that which killed him.” Surely he never committed suicide — if he did, he could only have done it once, and it would have certainly killed him
kat
On August 13, 2009 at 12:35 pm
It’s nice to see what they really looked like, instead of a painting.
welch
On August 14, 2009 at 2:29 am
Nice Article,But Creepy Looking
raman13
On August 14, 2009 at 4:27 am
Very well Written and amazing article.
I like your article
Thanks
Best Regards
Redburn
On August 14, 2009 at 7:34 am
I must say this is one of the best articles I have ever read. If you keep writing you will build a name for you – Redburn
Nosa
On August 14, 2009 at 9:52 am
Love it! The mask of the famous is actually te mos interesting article I’ve read for months now …and the pictures are intriging.I think I will definately come back to read this article over and over again.
Thanks-Informacion de Perfecto!
lindalulu
On August 15, 2009 at 7:02 am
Wow…interesting and creepy at the same time. Nice work as always. I would not want the job of making these things….
CutestPrincess
On August 15, 2009 at 7:42 am
Well researched with fantastic photos.
Jean Anne
On August 15, 2009 at 11:56 am
How interesting, great work!
orlandoJP
On August 15, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Interesting article
D Michael L
On August 16, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Wow learned something interesting today. Might as well show off to my history professor haha.
But It seems really, well barbaric to me to do that. I think I’d rather have several pictures taken of my head from different angles than have some people slab some stuff all over it. Just my point of view of course.
Really interesting read.
God Bless!
BradONeill
On August 18, 2009 at 7:37 pm
excellent article RJ. I must admit I cringed at the humor at times not sure if it was appropriate. (Hitchcock’s renal disease) But A very interesting subject matter and a fine article.
Janet Meyer
On August 23, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Whew! These are rather creepy. Interesting though, to say the least. Good pics and the article also.
Bill
On October 28, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Great article! In response to Francois Hagnere-according to a recently aired History Channel program on death masks, the Napoleon one shown above IS the Antonmarchi mask, and is now thought not to have been Napoleon at all, but his half-brother. (One of the reasons this was their conclusion is because the above mask has a full set of top teeth showing-you can’t see them too well in the pic) and Napoleon only had about two of his own teeth left at the time of his death). The scientists on the show acquired another death mask of Napoleon, and, after much research and many tests, determined that particular one to be genuine. Apparently this other one is owned by a private collector who bought it at auction and wasn’t identified on camera. It looked to me much more like Napoleon-one of the tests was to superimpose an image of this mask over an image of his illegitimate son, surnamed Walewska, who looked incredibly like his famous father-it was almost a perfect match. Interesting and informative article-well done!
cb
On November 1, 2009 at 9:06 pm
The mask you have shown of Nepolean hes been deemed not authentic. It has been deemed more than likely of his half-brother.
Bonnie
On November 2, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I actually just watched a history channel show on death and life masks (the Lincoln mask displayed here is a life mask from when he took the oath of office – not the fuller cheeks and lack of a beard.) Also worthy of note is that the Napoleon Bonaparte death mask has been proven a fake since the man who cast the original is believed to have dropped and broken it – so he recast a new one on Napoleons illegitimate half brother who had similar features. Not knocking the site, just some interesting facts to know!
Berylicious
On November 8, 2009 at 12:51 pm
The one of Napoleon actually is not him
There is a real one that they have now said is in fact the real napoleon
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