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LOT 2198
Victorian 'Freaks Fair' Model of a Shrunken Head
19TH CENTURY A.D.
8 in. (810 grams total, 20.5 cm including stand).
A tribal head modelled from leather with applied hair, moustache, eyebrows and eyelashes; pierced through the lips and ears; set in a later glass dome with base. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired Mellors & Kirk, circa 2019.
Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The freak show was the archetypal expression of popular culture, enjoyed by everyone regardless of their class. The freak show was presented to the public as entertaining and educational, offering the opportunity to learn about anatomy and the ‘realities’ of people from foreign lands. The real 'shrunken heads' known as tsantsas were severed human heads that were used by tribal cultures as war trophies or for ceremonial purposes. They were also used to scare off an enemy, using the heads as a threat, or also in religious rituals.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Post Medieval Silver Artefact Group
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From an English collection before 2000. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
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Found around the Buckinghamshire, UK, area. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
