South African family history, genealogy, heritage and interesting places, past and present. All articles researched and written by Anne Lehmkuhl. COPYRIGHT ANNE LEHMKUHL, no article can be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission. EMAIL ME
De la Rey death mask
A death mask of Afrikaner nationalist General Koos de la Rey was recently revealed in public in Houghton, Johannesburg. DNA tests by Unistel Medical Laboratories confirmed that the plaster of Paris mask belonged to the Anglo-Boer War hero. The mask is believed to be the only one of its kind ever found in Africa. Dutch-born sculptor Anton van Wouw made the death mask just a few hours after the General was shot in 1914. He later used the mask as a model for his busts of De la Rey. After Van Wouw's death, the mask was bought on auction by one of his friends who kept it until August 2007, when the publication of a book on De la Rey, which contains a photo of the mask, led to its discovery. The book, De la Rey: ’n Stryd vir vryheid, was written by Prof. Andries Raath. Strands of De la Rey's beard, attached to the mask, were matched with blood taken from his great-grandson, Jacques de la Rey. Death masks were common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Other famous figures who left death masks include Napoleon Bonaparte, William Shakespeare and Mary Tudor.