death mask

American  

noun

1. a cast taken of a person's face after death.

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death mask British  

noun

1. a cast of a person's face taken shortly after death Compare life mask

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Etymology

Origin of death mask

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

These, however, also feel funereal, like death masks taken after a long-suffering friend has been freed finally from corporeal struggles.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the book, the character calls it her “death mask.”

From Los Angeles Times

A model of the face of Bonnie Prince Charlie had been created using hundreds of images taken from death masks.

From BBC

A team at the University of Dundee's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification used death masks to recreate the Scottish prince's looks.

From BBC

It appeared so lifelike that the effect was unsettling, as if I were looking at Bradford look at his own death mask.

From New York Times