deathmask
Posthumous facial impression
A deathmask is a cast made of a person's face shortly after death, typically in plaster or wax.
Before photography, deathmasks preserved the features of notable figures—monarchs, composers, criminals.
The practice has largely disappeared, though famous examples remain in museums: Napoleon's deathmask, Beethoven's deathmask.
Also spelled as two words.
Placing deceased underground
- tombUnderground chamber for remains
- sarcophagusCarved stone burial container
- mummyEmbalmed, wrapped ancient body
- embalmingPreserving dead bodies chemically
shroud · coffin · bier · laying out · vigil · mortuary · funeral rites · interment
Wall-coating paste
- castPerformers, throw, or splint
- moldForm-giving container
- likenessVisual similarity or representation
- effigySculpted human representation
visage · replica · bronze · wax · impression · facsimile · sculpted · features
Act of honoring memory
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- tributeOffering of respect
- legacyWhat's passed down
- monumentStructure honoring someone remembered
honoring · reverence · posterity · keepsake · relic · memento mori · immortalize · genealogy
Layered puff pastry dessert
Preserving bodies after death
- plaster castingShaping objects with calcium sulfate paste
- wax castingSculpting with melted medium
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
archiving · climate-controlled · hermetic · sealing · stabilization · curator · museum · collection
burial
Placing deceased underground
- tombUnderground chamber for remains
- sarcophagusCarved stone burial container
- mummyEmbalmed, wrapped ancient body
embalming · shroud · coffin · bier · laying out · vigil · mortuary · funeral rites · interment · last rites
plaster
Wall-coating paste
- castPerformers, throw, or splint
- moldForm-giving container
- likenessVisual similarity or representation
effigy · visage · replica · bronze · wax · impression · facsimile · sculpted · features · countenance
commemoration
Act of honoring memory
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- tributeOffering of respect
- legacyWhat's passed down
monument · honoring · reverence · posterity · keepsake · relic · memento mori · immortalize · genealogy · ancestor
napoleon
Layered puff pastry dessert
victorian · renaissance · archaeological · excavation · discovery
mummification
Preserving bodies after death
- plaster castingShaping objects with calcium sulfate paste
- wax castingSculpting with melted medium
- conservationPreventing waste or loss
restoration · archiving · climate-controlled · hermetic · sealing · stabilization · curator · museum · collection · display case