乐生活[Antiquities] Liao Ji Gold and Silver Mask (Cover)
Capital Museum Collection 31 cm long and 22.2 cm wide
Excavated from Longkou Village, Zhoukoudian, Fangshan District, Beijing
Known as the cover of the face, it is the burial device of the Khitan nobility, intended to protect the face of the deceased. The Khitan people have the funeral custom of "using gold and silver as masks and copper wire as brothers and feet". Masks are divided into gold and silver to distinguish the identity, age and sex of the deceased. The device is made of silver sheets, with clear facial outline, hair combed back, prominent eyebrows, closed eyes and tight lips. There are holes under the ear and on both sides of temples, which can be tied.
