Canopic head in the Academic Art Museum Bonn (Inv. 631)

The canopic head, whose find spot is unknown, is dated between 600 and 575 BC and was made of impasto in Etruria. The head has a cylindrical neck and is wearing a mask. The eyes are almond-shaped, and the nose is pointed. Canopic heads with masks are dated to the beginning of the 6th century BC. At that time, they were produced on the potters wheel and the mask was added afterwards. The back of the head shows some drilling holes which might have served to attach a headdress or a cap. The ears also show drillings which served to attach metal spirals and simple earrings. Earrings are considered as objects from the female sphere, therefore the heard is ascribed to a deceased woman. While canopic vessels in Egypt were used for the mummification of the guts in Etruria they served to store the ash of the deceased.