ENGLAND

ENGLAND: Silk inside and black velvet outside, this rare 16th-century vizard, or mask, would have been worn to hide or protect a gentlewoman's face while traveling. The small white thread by the mouth was once attached to a bead, also found with the mask, that she would have held in her mouth to keep the mask in place. It was secreted away in a stone wall, perhaps as a "witch deposit," a common practice for warding off maleficent forces.