Definition of death mask in US English:
death mask
nounˈdɛθ ˈˌmæskˈdeTH ˈˌmask
A plaster cast taken of a dead person's face, used to make a mask or model.
Example sentencesExamples
- A death mask was made using a mould filled with plaster, which was also painted and the use of gold gave it an authentic appearance.
- Dominating the display, the death mask of Johnson's head and shoulders shows the facial distortion caused by his own final series of strokes.
- Images of his deathbed and casts of his death mask consequently circulated widely throughout the country and beyond.
- The face of her effigy may have been based on her death mask, taken when she died on her thirty-seventh birthday in the royal apartments in the Tower of London.
- The image rivets through its drama and detail; the features of Henri IV ring true in their resemblance to his portraits and death mask.