A death mask of the German writer Frank Wedekind has unexpectedly reappeared after decades abroad. It was recently returned to Germany by the previous owner in New Zealand over 100 years since Wedekind’s death. “The mask not only had a long journey to New Zealand and back, but it also tells an extraordinary history of exile,” said Professor Ariane Martin, head of the Editions- und Forschungsstelle Frank Wedekind (EFFW) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the leading center of research on the author. “This hugely interesting cultural object, which until now we knew next to nothing about, has an almost unbelievable backstory.” Frank Wedekind, one of the most important modern German playwrights, is perhaps best known internationally for his tragedy “Spring Awakening” (“Frühlings Erwachen”). He died in 1918 at the age of 53 from complications following an appendectomy. Immediately after his death, a number of death masks were prepared using plaster, of which only a few are still known to exist. It is worth noting that the cast from New Zealand is particularly well preserved.
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Source: Phys.org