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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 Ring with Carnelian Cabochon
16th-17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
With a D-section hoop supporting a tall bezel with applied pellets and filigree loops, set with a large red carnelian cabochon. 6.55 grams, 30.31 mm overall, 18.67 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)
From an English collection formed before 2000. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Cross and Corpus Group
18th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Comprising three Corpus Christi figures in bronze and bone, modelled in the round with arms outstretched, loin cloth to the thighs, feet placed (on two of them) on the supporting block; one without cross. 171 grams total, 12.6-19.5 cm
From the private collection of Victor Brox (1941-2023), formed in the 1980s-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The artists, probably Italian, with extraordinary dedication and sensitivity, created images of a still living Christ, afflicted by suffering. They had paid great attention to detail, with particular care taken over the softly curled hair, tense musculature, and protruding ribs. -
Qajar Hammered Brass Vessel Pair
Isfahan, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Each a piriform vase with narrow foot, deep rounded shoulder, carinated neck and rounded mouth; bands of horizontal scrolled tendril and rosette ornament; figural scene to each sidewall: A, shepherds and flock in a landscape and a woman setting out vessels from which the animals drink, with inset foliate panel depicting a courtly lady filling the cup of a crouching nobleman; B, women and children in a woodland scene carrying milk in pails and milking a cow, inset foliate panel with a traveller seated outside a settlement. 707 grams total, 19 cm each
with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
