This is a life-size museum-grade replica of the iconic Dante Alighieri death mask, long believed to be cast shortly after his death in Ravenna in 1321, but likely a 15th-century sculpted effigy. This comes with the museum display tag shown in the photo.
It is made of reconstituted limestone mixed with pulverized bronze over a polymer that is water-tight. It is finished in an extremely hard temperature-resistant wax that will retain patina under harsh museum lighting.
The original resides in a glass display case in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. It is widely regarded as the most famous representation of the exiled author of the Divine Comedy in existence.
The original effigy is long thought to be an impression taken directly from Dante's face upon his death. This life-size duplicate attempts to recreate the Palazzo Vecchio original, measures 26 cm in length and weighs about a pound. No other representation of Dante is known to capture in life-size the distinct asymmetry of his features: the slight deviation of his nose, the resting folds of his mouth and half-open eyes.
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