Description: It’s not a real skull, though it’s pretty convincing rendition of an aged / weathered skull. This is a plaster casting. The feel is very weighty in the hand at over 3.5 lbs. The shells in the eye sockets are real/natural. The plaster sculpt has been painted to give that well aged, antiqued effect. There are many cultures and societies that honored the dead by decorating the skull, specifically with either/or plaster or shells. Height: about 6” | Front to back: about 8” Condition: Excellent! No major issue to report. Light surface wear to the underside. Some refs for this homage piece: ~ via University of Oxford: Possibly the most well known in historical, archeological found skulls like this is the Jericho Skull that is estimated to be a staggering 9,000+ years old. Unearthed in the West Bank near the Jordan River in 1953, the skull is covered with plaster and the eye-sockets are inlaid with cowrie shells. ~ Decorating skulls was a practice among the ancient Aztecs, who inlaid the skulls with mosaics of valuable turquoise and lignite, and the eye sockets were filled with pyrites. ~ And the skulls of Oceanic Island cultures from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Sepik River peoples. Skulls are plastered over with clay or the like and then painted with elaborate designs. Sometimes they are made to look realistic and to resemble the deceased person. They are part of elaborate funerary ceremonies and still a practice in areas of Oceania and particularly in Papua New Guinea. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE -- Seller Info Notes: Check my other auctions! Mostly selling VINTAGE items I find interesting, because I can’t keep it all, heh. Usually that’s ceramics, art, barware, and other collectibles. Shipping: For “Reasonable Shipping” cost, I never ‘make money’ on shipping = the rates are the actual carrier rates. I always compare dimensional size/weight, and flat-rate, and carriers to get you the best ship price! I’m happy to ‘group’ items for a bundle buy, just message me and tell what things you’re looking at. I always combine shipments when possible to get you the best rate (keep in mind, when it’s practical - things like a poster & ceramic jar aren’t gonna work together 😊) Cheers, thanks for looking.
Price: 50 USD
Location: San Francisco, California
End Time: 2024-11-09T18:50:23.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Original/Reproduction: Reproduction
Material: Plaster
Culture: Pacific Islands & Oceania
