Following the British Museum Exhibition of Scythian Art and Artefacts  which I saw in 2017, I have been meaning to apply some of that inspiration to my mask work.  I was particularly drawn to the painted funerary masks from the Oglakhty burial site. These extraordinary objects are still attached to the skulls of the individuals  for whom they were made.  The originals are made of gypsum. The mask of the woman, which is somewhat better preserved, has remained in my consciousness as an inspiration.              I recently made a cast of an existing mask of a woman and then realised that there were some similarities between my mask and the Oglakhty mask. I have therefor tried to replicate the painted design from the ancient Scythian mask onto my contemporary version. They are not the same, my mask has the eyes open and the forehead finishes at a hairline rather than lapping over the cranium.  The overall proportions are not quite the same.

I have had to improvise and make up details which I cannot see in the source images, especially as some area’s have been damaged.        Painting this has given me a greater respect for the Scythian creators and their skill in making the original.  I have at present left the paining in this bold state, rather than distress the paint-job to beautify and make it more acceptable to modern audiences.  My instinct is to do some subtle shading to enhance the modelling and I am not sure I like my eye lid painting so I think that I will repaint them in the white. I have enjoyed the asymmetry of the design and applying it over the nearly symmetrical face.   There is a hypothesis that the painting replicates a tattoo .

Is this character an Amazon, an ancient feminine warrior ?    Certainly my original mask was intended to represent the strong mature woman.             This being my version of the Artemis archetype  (The Huntress).