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A Rare Ancestor Skull with Polychrome Decoration.
Human Skull, pigment.
Central Island Andaman Islands.
19th Century or earlier.
Provenance: Acquired by a British Officer from a funerary cave in 1881.
Acquired by Carl von Borg, Cologne, in 1927 (no. A210).
Ex Finch and Co, circa 2012.
Ex Martin Doustar, Paris, France.
Ex Private collection.
Published: Golgotha, The Cult of Skulls, M Doustar, Cassochrome, 2014, pg. 180, item no. 36.
The Andaman Islands are an archipelago of around two hundred islands which are in the eastern Bay of Bengal. Anthropologists believe these islands have been inhabited for several thousand years at least, with the very earliest settlers dating back to the Palaeolithic era. According to the ‘Out of Africa’ hypothesis, the Andamanese people are thought to be the first groups of modern humans (Homo Sapiens) who migrated out of the African continent, 100,000 to 50,000 BC.
As with other indigenous people from ancient tribal societies, the Andamanese practiced the ‘cult of the ancestor’. The skulls were often painted with lines, dots, or stripes and worn as adornment around the neck, as a sign of mourning and future protection against disease and pain.
Dimensions
15cm high, 13cm wide, 18cm deep - 5¾ ins high, 5 ins wide, 7 ins deepThe BADA Standard
- Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
- Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
- Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
- Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
- Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees